Often people push their oral health to the back of their priority list, even though it is equally as important as every other part of our health! So, we are here to help you with 4 simple ways that you can improve your oral health. These tips suit anyone, no matter your budget and most of them won’t cost you any more than you are currently spending!
Drink More Water
This first tip couldn’t be more simple, you just need to drink more water! Drinking water is an essential part of good oral health, as it helps to remove food or drink debris from the teeth, helping to prevent the build-up of plaque. It is important to make a habit of having a big glass of water after eating or drinking something other than water!
When you are getting into the habit of drinking more water, it’s a good idea to try and replace other drinks with water. Sugar can be really dangerous for the teeth and can contribute to tooth decay, so limiting your intake of soft fizzy drinks and replacing them with water will be great for your oral health long term. The same goes for sugary teas and coffee. From a more cosmetic point of view, tea and coffee can be terrible for staining teeth, so limiting your intake of these and drinking more water will keep your teeth healthy as well as looking their best.
Use A Toothpaste With Fluoride
Next time you are buying toothpaste, check the ingredient list to make sure that it contains fluoride. Fluoride is an essential ingredient in our toothpaste as it helps to prevent tooth decay by making the teeth more resistant to acid from plaque, bacteria and sugars in the food and drinks we consume. It can also help to reverse early decay.
Toothpaste containing fluoride aren’t any more expensive and they’re available in any supermarket or pharmacy you could think of. This is such a simple swap that can really help your oral health long term.
Avoid Smoking
Many people are aware of the impact that smoking can have on your overall health, but it is also extremely damaging to your oral health. Cutting down on smoking will significantly improve your oral health as well as save you money.
When you smoke tobacco, there is less oxygen in the bloodstream, meaning if gums get infected, it is far more difficult for them to heal. This causes gum disease to progress much more quickly than in non-smokers. This can lead to tooth decay, tooth loss and many other health problems.
If you are looking for a reason to quit smoking, this is a very good one, along with all the other ways it can be damaging to your health.
See Your Dentist Regularly
The best thing you can do to improve your oral health is to see your private dentist regularly. It is advised that you visit your dentist and hygienist at least twice a year. Although this might seem expensive, you will be protecting your oral health in the long term and this will save you from having to regularly pay for significant treatment. Prevention is better than cure, after all!
When you visit your dentist, they will be able to check over all elements of your oral health, including your teeth, mouth and gums. Any areas of weakness can be identified early on, so the treatment will be so much easier. You might think you know how to identify problems with your oral health, but there are plenty of things that will go unnoticed, such as how exercise can impact your oral health, which is why visiting your dentist regularly is so important!
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it! Hopefully, we have proven that you don’t need to do anything drastic to improve your oral health. There are plenty of other things you can do, from flossing to using an electric toothbrush, but the best thing you can do is visit a dentist and they can support the maintenance of your oral health at home as well as when you are at the dentist. Oral health should always be at the very top of your priority list, along with the rest of your health.