Hygiene is the practice of cleanliness, and oral hygiene means keeping your teeth, gums and tongue clean. This goes a long way to preventing dental problems such as cavities in your teeth, gingivitis and periodontal diseases on your gums and bad breath. Good oral hygiene is essential for everyone, but it is especially necessary if you have braces or just to maintain the overall health and beauty of your smile. Dr. Runnels and our experienced medical team can help you exercise proper hygiene in Fort Walton Beach and surrounding areas!
Why is Oral Hygiene Important?
Brushing and flossing every day are the two most important things you can do to maintain good oral hygiene. Proper brushing is required to keep the gums healthy as well as to remove tartar from the teeth. Our team will show you how to brush your teeth properly to get the maximum benefit. You should brush twice a day to remove the acid buildup on your teeth that is created when bacteria breaks down food. It also helps if you rinse your mouth thoroughly with water after eating or drinking sugary drinks to reduce the amount of food and sugar that remains on your teeth. It is recommended to clean the surface of your tongue either by brushing it or with a professional tongue cleaner. Cleaning will remove most of the bacteria on your tongue that contributes to bad breath and tooth decay.
Flossing is also important for gum and tooth health. It removes food particles that the toothbrush missed and reaches deep between your teeth to areas that even mouthwash cannot reach. We recommend that you floss or use another device to clean between teeth at least once a day.
What Can Affect Oral Hygiene?
Tobacco is not only bad for your overall health, it can also cause serious problems in your mouth. Periodontal complications and oral cancer are two of the most common complications from tobacco. Tobacco also causes bad breath, and to avoid this many people use candies, breath mints and drinks to mask the bad breath. These things just add to the possible damage to teeth and gums due to the additives and ingredients.
Some beverages such as sugary sodas, coffee and alcoholic drinks contain high levels of phosphorous that may deplete the level of calcium in your body. Calcium is needed for strong teeth. In addition, colored drinks can stain your teeth and weaken the enamel making them look dull and discolored.
Some foods are good for your teeth, including milk, fortified orange juice, yogurt, cheese, broccoli and other veggies and dairy products. They are high in calcium as well as vitamin B complex, copper, zinc, iron, iodine and potassium.
No matter how well you brush and floss, there will be particles of food that you cannot reach. This is why it is considered essential to have your teeth professionally cleaned at least once a year and preferably twice. Once plaque forms, it can only be removed with special dental tools that are used by our medical team.
Good oral hygiene does more than clean your teeth. It helps your overall health that may be affected by tooth decay and gum disease. You may be able to lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes and chronic infections. Contact us today and learn how to maintain good oral hygiene for a lifetime!
Runnels Orthodontics proudly serves Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Freeport, Miramar Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Seaside, Rosemary Beach, Panama City Beach and Panama City!
