What Makes Good Dental Health?

There are many things that combine together to make up what your dental health is like. They are: your diet, your saliva, your habits, your medical health and your oral hygiene.

There may be times when changes in your medical health status, will affect your dental health. When you become ill and need medications, some of these medications can reduce the saliva in your mouth. Reduced saliva results in dry mouth. Pregnancy also can change your saliva. Pregnancy can also lead to something called, pregnancy gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). People, who have asthma often breathe through their mouths creating dry mouth, increase plague formation and lead to gingivitis. People with special care needs (those with diabetes, are pregnant, or have other health conditions) may wish to see their dental hygienist or dentist to discuss what to do about how their condition affects their dental health, conditions including dry mouth. Fluoride has been shown to help relieve dry mouth and may be recommended by your dentist. Good sources of fluoride are toothpastes and mouthwashes you find in drugstores and grocery stores. Your dentist will write a prescription for a gel or rinse if he feels you need a stronger fluoride.

Dental Hygiene

Learning how to properly brush your teeth, and how often is an important part of good dental hygiene. You should brush your teeth a minimum of twice a day, but most dentists prefer that you brush after every meal. Flossing should be done daily, and most dentist will agree that you should floss twice a day. If you must eat or drink sugary stuff in between meals, then try to rinse your mouth with water or chew gum to help

Diet

Your diet is an important part of your dental health. Everyone know that teeth need calcium to grow strong, but teeth also need other foods as well. A balanced diet (following the food pyramid) will ensure that you have all the essential vitamins and minerals that you need for good dental health. You should limit your intake of sugary foods and drinks. 20 minutes after eating or drinking sugar and bacteria is already attacking those food particles turning them into acids that can attack your tooth enamel. So if you must eat and drink sugary items, be sure to rinse or chew gum to help remove them from your teeth.

Tobacco

Smoking or using smokeless tobacco products stains your teeth and puts you at a higher risk for oral cancer, gingivitis, periodontitis, tooth decay and bad breath.

Check Your Mouth

Your dentist will thoroughly examine your mouth when you visit every 6 months which is great; but you are in the best position to check for any changes in your mouth. Try to take a look inside your mouth on a weekly basis to check for any changes like sores that last for more than two weeks, swollen gums, chipped teeth or discolored teeth.

You should not smoke, but if you do, it is especially important that you check your mouth for lesions, staining or any other irregularity of the mouth.