How to care for your teeth: tips

Going to the dentist is an expensive and unpleasant pleasure. In order not to become a regular client of the dentist, you must regularly take care of the entire oral cavity, including teeth, tongue and cheeks. Hygienic procedures take only 15–20 minutes a day, but protect against caries, gum and mucous membrane diseases. And if in addition to toothpaste to acquire additional funds, the smile will become healthy and snow-white.

Hygiene Selection

How does dental care begin? With a choice of pasta. From the composition of this tool directly depends on how strong the enamel will be, whether tartar or periodontitis will appear. The cleaning agent must be supplemented with a brush, soft enough and at the same time tough, and rinse aid, which disinfects the oral cavity. It is advisable that in the cabinet in the bathroom there is always a package of dental floss, and once a year you should visit the dentist and conduct professional cleaning with ultrasound and special polishing preparations.

The subtleties of choosing toothpaste
What guides the average consumer who buys cleaning products for the oral cavity? Pleasant aroma, the presence or absence of a whitening effect, affordable price. Dentists recommend paying attention to two main factors:

• which group does toothpaste belong to?
• composition of the product.

There are hygienic varieties and therapeutic. The former freshens breath well and removes food debris from enamel, but does not save from tooth decay, inflammation and other dental diseases. Hygienic pastes are recommended for people with healthy teeth, the rest should be bought for medical and preventive.

Cleaning agents belonging to the second group prevent plaque and have an antibacterial effect. There are antiseptic varieties that destroy the foci of inflammation in the oral cavity. Usually they contain extracts from medicinal plants, so they kill the infection and increase local immunity, but you can’t use such pastes for a long time.

Variants with fluoride are contraindicated in children, because babies can swallow a little while brushing their teeth, and some people like to secretly taste the contents of the tube from their parents. For adults, bleaching pastes are recommended to be used no more than 2 times a week, otherwise an aggressive composition can harm enamels. You cannot buy hygiene products of this category if drinking water contains a lot of fluoride, otherwise plaque and tartar will appear.

There are also pastes to treat bleeding and strengthen gums. For patients with sensitive teeth, dentists recommend products that contain bioactive components such as:

• potassium chloride or strontium;
• calcium nitrate;
• fluoride ions;
• hydroxyapatite.

Medical pastes are used for no more than 2 weeks, otherwise digestion and enamel condition may be impaired, because they do not clean teeth well. Next, you should go to the usual hygienic varieties, if the dentist does not recommend prolonging the course.

Right toothbrush
Electric and ultrasonic, for brushing your teeth and tongue, hard and soft. Brushes are different, but you need to choose only one. First you need to look at the origin of the bristles, which can be natural and synthetic. Residents of civilized countries use only the second option, obtained from artificial materials.They know that bacteria grow in natural brushes and a fungus can start, and small fibers fall out and enter the intestines, causing irritation.

The second point is stiffness:

1. Ultra-soft varieties are recommended for patients with bleeding and hypersensitivity.
2. Options with medium hardness are suitable for people who have no damaged enamel, no caries or gum disease.
3. Soft brushes are designed for young users and the elderly.
4. Ultra-hard ones are usually bought as directed by the dentist, if you need to get rid of yellow plaque or tartar.

There are orthodontic brushes designed to care for braces. They have a thinner pile and a special form that allows them to penetrate into inaccessible places. A natural brush needs to be changed every 2–4 weeks, and a synthetic brush every 3 months.

Tooth Elixir and Floss
Who should buy a rinse aid with paste and why? To completely healthy people who have never inflamed or bleed gums, who did not have to get rid of the unpleasant odor and treat tooth decay, this hygienic tool may not be needed. The rest can not do without a rinse, especially if:

• there are chronic diseases in the oral cavity;
• dentures or implants were installed;
• the enamel layer is too thin, so tooth sensitivity occurs;
• a person drinks more than two cups of coffee, tea or a glass of wine daily;
• recently had to remove a tooth or undergo surgery in the oral cavity.

Rinsers, like pastes, are therapeutic and prophylactic. The second clean and disinfect hard-to-reach places between the teeth, protecting against tooth decay. They contain aminofluoride or sodium fluoride, but the concentration of the substance should not exceed 250 ppm.

Therapeutic options are anti-inflammatory and firming, whitening and complex. They are suitable for adults and children who have dental problems, but you can use such rinses no more than 3 times a week.

If alcohol is present in the composition of the tooth elixir, it is contraindicated for young consumers from 6 to 18, as well as for people who drive a car.

A mandatory attribute of proper oral care is dental floss. Recommended options without a wax coating, because small particles of this substance can get stuck in between the teeth. It is desirable that this accessory be silk and very thin.

If the teeth are tight to each other, it is recommended to be limited only to a brush and rinse aid. The thread should slide easily, otherwise it will injure the enamel and gums.

Brush your teeth right

Even perfectly selected dental supplies will not protect against tooth decay and inflammation if used improperly. Teeth are cleaned daily: in the morning, 30 to 40 minutes after breakfast, and in the evening, shortly before bedtime.

Start with the molars, gradually moving towards the fangs and the front. The brush slides from the gums to the tips, as if sweeping away all the debris. Alternate horizontal movements with circular and vertical directions, capturing 2-3 teeth at a time. Give everyone 10-20 seconds. Hygienic procedure takes at least 4 minutes.

The tops of the molars need to be cleaned with the same “sweeping” movements as the rest of the teeth, moving from the throat to the middle of the oral cavity. Finish the procedure with a gentle gum massage to improve blood circulation. Be sure to clean the tongue using a brush with a ribbed nozzle or a special rough spatula, which is sold in a pharmacy.

After eating, the mouth is advised to rinse with boiled or distilled water. Some carry a soda and salt shake with them, but such products, when used regularly, destroy enamel and injure teeth.

Additional recommendations

1. Crushed activated carbon should not be added to the paste.It really has a whitening effect, but at the same time this component destroys the protective membrane of the smile and irritates the gums. This rule applies to soda and other additives that "folk" experts like to advise.
2. If it is not possible to rinse your mouth after eating, you should finish the meal with an apple. The acids contained in this fruit remove plaque and lighten the smile a little. But apples are emergency measures, they cannot be replaced by full-fledged toothbrushing.
3. Chewing gum is useful, but only sugar-free varieties. They remove food debris from the mouth and refresh the breath. Options with sugar provoke tooth decay, as well as sugary drinks: tea, juices, fruit drinks and soda.
4. During cleaning, you can not put much pressure on the teeth, so it is recommended to keep the brush like a ballpoint pen.
5. Infusions from plantain or beetroot leaves are a good prevention of periodontitis and other gum diseases. In the morning, immediately after waking up, it is recommended to rinse the oral cavity with sunflower oil. The product disinfects and makes the smile lighter by a tone or two. Wash the remaining oil with salted water.
6. Floss should be used once a week, after evening brushing.

Healthy and Junk Food

Oral health also depends on the diet. In cottage cheese, dairy products and red fish there is a lot of phosphorus and calcium. Minerals strengthen tooth enamel from the inside, therefore, it is recommended to use dishes containing them daily.

Hard vegetables and fruits like carrots, cucumbers, beets and peppers are good for healthy teeth and gums. They clean bacteria from the enamel surface and massage soft tissues. Celery, parsley, chives and dill should be added to the menu. In the summer, eat 200-300 g of strawberries, grapes, strawberries and cranberries daily. And in the winter to buy cashews, almonds, oranges and grapefruits. These products are rich in vitamins and volatile, which have antibacterial properties and strengthen the immune system.

Sweets are advised to replace sweets and sugar with raisins. Dried grapes contain components that destroy bacteria that cause tooth decay. Hard cheese has similar properties, which should complete dinner or breakfast. Green tea is also useful, because it has antioxidants and substances that neutralize acids. You can enhance the effect of the drink with a spoon of natural honey.

Tip: You can not combine hot tea with cold ice cream. Sudden temperature changes are dangerous for enamel: they contribute to the appearance of microcracks and increase sensitivity.

What you need to know about teeth

1. An unpleasant odor worries, but does the dentist claim the oral cavity is healthy? It is necessary to check the stomach and lungs, perhaps it was in them that the infection hid or there is a latent inflammatory process.
2. Only a specialist should whiten teeth. A variety of folk methods are not only ineffective, but can also destroy enamel, which will lead to weakening and destruction of teeth.
3. It’s cheaper to prevent caries and other dental diseases than to place fillings or implants, so you should go to the dentist every 6 months for a scheduled checkup.
4. Teeth are one of the strongest and strongest parts of the body, but you cannot open bottles, chop nuts and bite threads.

People who accustom themselves to regularly clean their mouth, eat the right foods and go to the dentist for no reason will be able to forget for many years the existence of caries, periodontitis and an unpleasant odor. Therefore, it is time to arm ourselves with a brush and paste, stock up with dental floss and rinse aid and become a little healthier.

Video: how to brush your teeth and take care of your oral cavity