4 Ways to Care for Your Teeth at Home

With one in four adults in the United States dealing with untreated tooth decay, it’s more essential than ever to make every effort to take care of your teeth. Tooth decay leads to gum disease, tooth loss, and even chronic diseases like arthritis, heart disease, and stroke without regular dental visits and proper care for your teeth. 

A big part of dental care is how you care for your teeth at home. Developing optimal dental hygiene habits can save your teeth and avoid complications in the future.

Proper care for your teeth means doing everything you can at home and seeing our team regularly. People living in the Mamaroneck, New York, and Stamford, Connecticut, area can rely on the comprehensive expertise of Dr. Gennadiy Kravets and our experienced staff at All Bright Dental.

Proper care for your teeth at home will make your life easier\ and make dental visits more pleasant. Here are four things you can do to care for your teeth at home:

Brushing

To reduce plaque on your teeth, which can lead to tooth decay and complications, brushing your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste and a soft-bristle brush twice a day is recommended by the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA). 

Toothpaste with fluoride is necessary to fight the germs that lead to tooth decay, providing your teeth and tongue a barrier of protection. Brush at a 45-degree angle and use gentle back, forth, and circular motions. Don’t forget to brush your tongue. 

Avoid eating for 30 minutes after brushing. Don’t go to bed without brushing your teeth, and be sure to replace your toothbrush every three months.

Flossing 

Flossing is just as important as brushing, as the spaces between teeth can also trap food particles and create problems for teeth and gums. Your brush can’t reach everything, so flossing once a day along with brushing will limit tooth decay.

Mouthwash 

Mouthwash reduces the amount of acid in your mouth, helping to remove particles in areas your brush can’t reach and promoting the remineralization of the teeth. That means that it helps to add calcium and other minerals back to the enamel.

Be sure to use mouthwash at a different time than when you brush to avoid washing away many of the benefits of concentrated fluoride. After meals is a good time for mouthwash, but be sure not to drink anything for 30 minutes after using it.

Diet 

Diet is an area many people forget when it comes to tooth care. As delicious as they are, many foods can actually be harmful to teeth by eating away at your enamel and removing calcium and other minerals vital to tooth health. 

That is especially true of sugary foods (soft drinks, candy, fast foods, and cookies), which create acids in your mouth that weaken teeth. Certain acidic fruits, tea, and coffee can also wear down tooth enamel.

Fresh, crunchy produce is great for your teeth and also contains fiber, which is good for your body. Drinking water and not soft drinks or juices after every meal keeps your mouth clean.

These simple methods can make a significant difference in the health of your teeth. If you have more questions or other concerns about the health of your teeth, make an appointment with Dr. Kravets and All Bright Dental today.