Show Your Teeth Off With Pride - Here's How!

Like many people, your current dental regimen focuses only on brushing your teeth and flossing occasionally. Actually, taking care of your mouth doesn't always start with your teeth. Lifestyle habits, health conditions, and even heredity can all influence oral health. As you will soon see, there are countless simple things you can do to care for your mouth, teeth, and gums.

When you brush your teeth it should take at least two minutes. Anything shorter means you may not get all of the places where germs and plaque hide. Be sure you have time every day and night to brush your teeth when you can so that you don't have to deal with plaque that's building up.

Do not let unknown discomfort go unattended. There are various reasons you may feel discomfort in your teeth or jaw. You could be experiencing the cutting of a wisdom tooth or you may have developed an infection. Make an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible to avoid further complications. It is better to know it is minor, than to ignore it until it is major.

Everyone brushes their teeth, but not everyone brushes their tongues. Whenever you are brushing your teeth it is also important to brush your tongue as well. There are several different bacteria that thrive on your tongue so make sure you keep your entire mouth clean by scrubbing your tongue too.

Eating when you're not hungry not only adds weight, but can also increase your risk of cavities. If you snack throughout the day, you expose your teeth to more cavity-causing bacteria, sugars and acid. Thus, you should eat only when you're hungry in order to protect your dental health.

If mouthwashes out on the market do not appeal to you, and you want your mouth rinsed for fresher breath, you can use a natural method. Mix together a tablespoon of salt, a tablespoon full of hydrogen peroxide, three tablespoons full of baking soda and stir all this into three cups of hot boiling water. This oral rinse will serve you well.

Do your vices include chewing on ice cubes? You should stop doing this right now. Ice is something that can crack and chip your teeth. You may also experience pain when you have more sensitive teeth. If you need to chew, choose sugarless gum. If you are accustomed to chewing the ice in your drinks, don't use it until you break the habit.

If you are afraid of needles, discuss sedation dentistry with your dentist before having any major work done. Sedation dentistry allows you to take a small pill that helps you to relax before your appointment. It is safe for most individuals, and it can make a dental visit much less stressful.

Don't go overboard on the Coke and Pepsi. Soda is acidic. It is well-known to discolor the teeth and destroy the enamel. However, if you must drink soda, there are some simple things you can do to prevent damage and discoloration. Drink your soda through a straw. You can brush your teeth right after you drink the soda, then rinse your mouth with water.

To help ensure that you are properly cleaning your teeth change your toothbrush every three months. Many of today's toothbrushes come with colored bristles that fade over time. This convenient feature is used to help you know when it is time to change your toothbrush. If you notice your bristles are not changing colors within three months, it is still important to go ahead and change your toothbrush.

When you wake up, brush your teeth to get rid of all the accumulated debris from sleeping and breathing through your mouth, leaving dried saliva behind. The next time to brush is just before bed, cleaning out everything you've eaten throughout the day and cleaning your mouth for the overnight hours.

When you are brushing, handle the brush gently in your mouth. Proper brushing doesn't involve a lot of pressure on your teeth. You may think you are cleaning better with some pressure, but really you are just traumatizing your gum area in the process. This can lead to receding gums and pockets.

Always thoroughly rinse your toothbrush after using it because the germs that you just removed from your mouth will be on the toothbrush. By rinsing it off, you will remove the germs and the remnants of old toothpaste which can build up. Follow up the rinse by tapping the toothbrush on the edge of the sink to shake excess water off of it.

Flossing your teeth is more effective if you do it at night rather than in the morning. If you wait until you wake up, all of the food stuck between your teeth has had the entire night to corrode the sides of your teeth, doing hours of damage to your dental health.

What type of toothpaste do your own? Look at the toothpaste label to ensure that it contains fluoride. You can avoid tooth decay and get wither teeth thanks to fluoride. Your dentist is a good source for a toothpaste recommendation.

It may seem like a good idea to brush your teeth after eating or drinking something with a high acid content but you could cause more damage that way. The acids soften the enamel and if you brush, you can brush away or erode the enamel. It is better to just rinse your mouth out.

Choose the right mouthwash. All mouthwashes are not created equal, so do some research before you get to the store. Check out active ingredients, and try samples if possible. You don't want something that's just fizzy. You have to be able to make your breath fresher and get rid of bacteria.

A combination of regular dental visits and simple hygiene habits goes a long way in promoting good oral health. Do it for yourself, or do it for your dentist. Either way, you can be certain that your efforts will pay off in more ways than one. Now that's something to smile about!