Three Simple Ways To Improve Your Family's Oral Health
Posted on: 8 October 2019
Oral health is everything. In addition to poor oral health having the potential for tooth loss and gum disease, the shape of one's oral health has been linked to health in other parts of the body, like the heart and brain. If you want your family members to live long and healthy lives, start with the mouth by following these three tips.
Reduce Sugar Consumption
Cutting down on the amount of sugar your family consumes is one easy way to improve oral health. This is because bacteria feed upon sugar.
Bacteria are ultimately what's responsible for both cavities and gum disease. Bacteria can chew through teeth and can also produce the plaque and tartar that can lead to cavities and gum disease. By reducing the amount of sugar that your family eats, some of these bacteria will starve, reducing the overall amount in the mouth. This will slow the production of plaque and tartar and help to stave off gum disease.
Switch to Water and Mixes
One of the best tools that you have at your disposal to improve oral health is right at home. All you need to do is ditch your pre-made beverages and switch to water and mixes.
Tap water is typically fluoridated, meaning that fluoride is added to it. Fluoride is extremely helpful in strengthening teeth and making them tougher at fending off bacteria and plaque. However, if you're not drinking tap water, you're missing out on some of the benefits.
Drinking water by itself of course is a great idea, but its not for everyone. In this case, it's a good idea to try some sugar-free drink mixes that can be added to your tap water to get the same benefits with more flavor.
Commit to Visiting Dentist
Visiting your dentist should be part of your usual routine, typically twice a year per person. Ultimately it's up to your dentist to decide how often your family should come in — people with oral health problems may need to be seen more.
It's important to remember that it's not possible to remove tartar at home, and that problems like small cavities and gum disease can typically be tended to in a single visit to the dentist's office. Why let problems get out of control before going? Prevent them in the first place by maintaining a regular schedule of seeing the dentist.
With these tips, you can help to improve the oral health of your family at home. If you don't have an appointment already set up for your family, make sure to schedule one with a family dentistry practice right away.
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