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This is the most comprehensive guide on “The Best Ways to Take Care of Your Teeth”
Do you know, according to WHO (World Health Organization), oral problems affect more than 3.5 billion people worldwide.
Among these oral problems, tooth decay is the most common.
WHO also says that we can easily avoid or prevent most dental problems if we are aware of taking care of our teeth.
If you often suffer from,
- Tooth Decay.
- Gum Disease.
- Bad Breath
- Sensitive Teeth
- Gingivitis
- Cracked or Broken Teeth
- Root Infection
- Enamel Erosion
- Bleeding Gums
- Tooth Cavity
- Plaque ( a thin, sticky layer of bacteria that constantly forms on your teeth)
- Receding Gums
Then believe me…you are going to love this guide about complete teeth care.
Here, we will discuss some of the best and most effective tips to take care of your teeth so that you don’t have to suffer from any teeth-related problems.
Before we start listing the most effective ways to take care of your teeth, let’s first discuss the common causes of dental problems.
Table of Contents
1. Common Causes of Dental Problems
It is very important to discuss the common causes of dental problems because if we know these causes then we can easily prevent them or protect ourselves from them.
1) Excess Sugar Consumption
Your mouth is the home of millions of bacteria. Some of them are beneficial and some of them are harmful.
Whenever you eat foods that contain sugar, the harmful bacteria present in the mouth produce acid which causes damage to your teeth.
Your saliva can handle this acid but if your sugar consumption is too high, then it is not possible to prevent teeth damage.
The repeated attacks of acid on your teeth damage the enamel layer of your teeth which causes a tooth cavity in long run.
2) Chewing or Smoking Tobacco
Intaking tobacco in both forms is extremely dangerous for your overall oral health. Long-term use of tobacco can also cause oral cancer.
Exposing your teeth to tobacco or nicotine can weaken your teeth and cause damage to your gums.
If I start listing the bad effects of tobacco on oral health, it will take hours.
So in short, if you are addicted to chewing tobacco or smoking then you should get rid of this habit as early as possible.
3) Excess Consumption of Alcohol
Well, moderate consumption (one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) will not cause any negative effects on your teeth.
But, if you are addicted to alcohol consumption and consume it in large amounts then it is going to be a great problem for your teeth as well as your entire body’s health.
Alcohol is bad for your health because of two main reasons.
First, it is loaded with sugar. As mentioned above, excess consumption of sugar is highly harmful to your teeth.
The second reason is, that alcohol is a super dehydrator. Alcohol causes dry mouth which means it reduces the production of saliva in your mouth.
Your saliva protects your teeth from the activities of harmful bacteria. If your body won’t be able to produce saliva because of a dry mouth then how will it protect your teeth…!!!
Therefore, avoid excess consumption of alcohol.
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4) Poor Diet
Today, our diet or food choice is so poor that it can’t even provide the necessary vitamins and minerals.
If your diet doesn’t include vitamin D, vitamin C, Calcium, and phosphorus in enough amounts then forget about healthy teeth.
Choose or plan your diet such that it includes the above-mentioned nutrients.
There are many other causes of dental problems but these are the most common causes of problems related to teeth.
Now, we will discuss the most effective ways to take care of your teeth.
2. Best Ways to Take Care of Your Teeth
The tips mentioned here to take care of your teeth are 100% practical and affordable for almost all people.
These methods are also the part of Self-Dentistry protocol which is used to take care of the mouth, teeth, tongue, saliva, etc.
1) Wash Your Mouth With Salt Water After Meal
Many people may advise you to brush your teeth after having a meal and dinner. But it is not that practical every time to brush your teeth after every meal.
So instead of that, you can wash your mouth with water added with salt.
This practice is also known as Saltwater Rinse.
The best way to practice it is to mix 1 ounce (28 grams) of salt into 16 ounces ( 0.5 liters approx) of boiling, non-fluoridated, non-chlorinated water.
Store it in a glass jar. Now, every time after a meal, wash your mouth with that stored saltwater.
Why washing your mouth with salt water is so beneficial?
The answer is salt eliminates microbes and makes the pH of the mouth alkaline.
Washing your mouth with salt water also becomes important after eating citrus or other high-acid foods to neutralize the acidity right away.
Saltwater also creates a neutral environment for brushing. So, you should start brushing after washing your mouth with saltwater.
You can also gargle with this water to clean your throat too.
2) Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day
It should be your daily routine to clean your teeth twice a day. The best way to clean your teeth is to brush your teeth.
You should brush your teeth as you start your day and before going to bed at night.
Brushing your teeth before going to bed can help you get rid of the germs and plaque ( a thin, sticky layer of bacteria that constantly forms on your teeth) that accumulate throughout the day.
The benefits of brushing teeth largely depend on how you hold the brush while brushing.
If you are doing it in the wrong way then it is better not to brush because the wrong method can damage your gums.
What is the right method to brush your teeth?
The best way to brush your teeth is to rotate the brush in a circular direction.
Many advise vertical or horizontal movement but teeth brushing gives the best result when the brush is moved in a circular direction on the teeth.
3) Choose The Correct Toothpaste
It is impossible to brush our teeth without toothpaste. But what if the toothpaste we use, damages our teeth!
You have to focus on two things while choosing the correct toothpaste.
First, it must be SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) free and the second thing is toothpaste should be fluoride-free.
SLS is banned in many countries. If it is used for the long term for oral activities then it can also be a reason for mouth ulcers. So it must be avoided.
Modern doctors have two different opinions about the presence of fluoride in toothpaste. One group of doctors recommends fluoride in toothpaste because fluoride tends to remove plaque from the teeth.
The other group of doctors opposes it because fluoride is a toxic chemical. Do you know, that intaking 2.8 grams of fluoride can kill an adult person.
According to me, you should avoid fluoride in any toothpaste.
In short, buy toothpaste that is free from Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Fluoride.
4) Don’t Forget to Scrape Your Tongue
Millions of microbes and mucus live on the coating of the tongue. Scraping the tongue gently removes the coating which tends to improve your overall oral health.
Tongue scraping will also improve the taste of the foods that your tongue experiences. It will also help you get rid of bad breath.
You can buy a tongue scraper from any medical store. You can also use the edge of a spoon. Simply scrape your tongue from back to front.
I will recommend you to buy a tongue scraper made up of copper because copper itself is an anti-bacterial. Also, wash your scraper with hot water before & after using it.
5) Flossing Your Teeth Helps a Lot
Flossing is the process in which we use a thread and pass it through the gap between our teeth.
Most people generally brush their teeth and scrape their tongue but there are a few people who practice flossing.
Flossing is one of the best methods to stimulate the gums and reduce plaque that is stuck in between the teeth.
Dental experts recommend practicing flossing twice a day.
6) Chew Neem Tree Twigs At Least Once a Week
Chewing neem twigs are usually used in India. Indian people especially those who live in villages use these twigs and chew them in the morning.
Many research studies prove that neem is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. It is an ideal remedy for tooth infections.
It can be applied locally around the teeth and gums. The vasodilatation and anti-inflammatory compounds in neem, along with the pain-relieving compounds, can reduce the discomfort of a toothache.
It also prevents cell adhesion and kills the bacteria that tend to cause tooth decay. Neem alkalizes the saliva, gums, and mouth, and kills the bacteria that cause teeth-related problems such as pyorrhea, gingivitis, etc.
It destroys the calcium-forming organisms and the organisms that cause cavities.
Looking to these numerous benefits of chewing neem twigs, it must be included in your oral care routine.
7) Avoid Excess Sugar
We mentioned in the causes of dental problems that when harmful bacteria present in the mouth come in the contact with sugar, they produce acid which can harm our teeth.
Though the saliva present in the mouth provides protection to teeth from acid, saliva alone can’t handle so much acid.
So, to avoid this, you should limit the intake of sugar.
You should also stay away from processed foods not because they are loaded with sugar, but they also tend to stick to teeth and can be the reason for enamel erosion.
8) Stay Away From Smoking or Chewing The Tobacco
Smoking or chewing tobacco can literally damage your teeth to that level from where we can’t reverse the damage with any technology.
It is also one of the major causes of oral cancer.
9) Limit The Intake of Alcohol
We discussed above that alcohol is full of sugar as well as it dries the mouth that means reduces the production of saliva.
Both qualities of alcohol are more than enough to damage our teeth. So it is always preferable to limit the intake of alcohol.
10) Use Mouth Guards
It is not only the case where we have to protect our teeth by following the proper oral care routine.
We also have to take care of our teeth from outside events such as accidents, injuries, etc.
That is why it is advisable to wear a helmet whenever we travel on two-wheelers vehicles, wear a seat belt in a car, we should also wear a mouthguard when we are playing sports, etc.
11) Avoid or Limit The Intake of Coffee, Tea, and Carbonated Drinks
Coffee, tea, and carbonated drinks are loaded with sugar. The tannin present in tea and the caffeine present in coffee can also stain your teeth.
Many people also make one mistake they directly drink cold water on hot tea or coffee. It is a very wrong practice.
A sudden change in the temperature of teeth can damage them and can be a reason for tooth sensitivity.
12) Go For Dental Checkups Once in a Six Months
Regular dental checkups are extremely useful to prevent and diagnose any tooth-related problems that can create a problem for you.
If regular checkups are not possible then you should go for checkups at least once in six months.
Conclusion
Here, we have discussed the most effective ways to take care of your teeth. These tips are 100% practical and affordable.
Oral hygiene is the least concerned but the most important health topic.
Oral hygiene is very important because our mouth is the entrance for whatever we eat or whatever we drink.
If our mouth is full of harmful bacteria then we will also intake them with our foods. So it is very important to take care of our teeth as much as we can.
If you have any questions related to this article, you can ask me in the comment box.
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Thanks for Reading…!!!
