Here at Trillium Dental, we love seeing our clients often for regular check-ups and oral maintenance, but we don’t like seeing them too often. There are a number of people that do not practice good oral hygiene and every good dentist strives to prevent dental issues through effective care and education. In today’s blog, we hope to continue that tradition with a range of tips to help you keep your teeth healthy as can be!
Trillium Dental offers teeth whitening, Invisalign, periodontics, restorative and cosmetic dental services and more for Ottawa, Stittsville, Orleans, Kanata, and Nepean in Ontario. Call us or contact us today to learn more!
BRUSH YOUR TEETH CORRECTLY
Yes, there is a correct way to brush your teeth. Without getting too detailed, it’s encouraged that everyone brush their teeth with soft-bristled brushes. Brushing with heavier brushes can do undue damage to your teeth. Despite their rugged nature, teeth can be brushed through and, after you get through the enamel, you end up with sensitive teeth that can cause discomfort when you drink or eat cold products or touch metal. In addition, brush twice a day with gentle strokes while changing the pattern and get behind the teeth as well using ADA-approved fluoride toothpaste.
… AND BRUSH YOUR MOUTH.
Not a lot of people know this, but the rest of the inside of your mouth requires dental hygiene as well. Brushing the rest of the inside of your mouth from your tongue to the top of your mouth is important for both preventing the build-up of potentially harmful bacteria, and for helping your breath smell better for longer. Brushing your entire mouth can feel funny at first, but after a few times, it’ll feel absolutely normal. This is a great pro tip for those of you on the dating scene.
FLOSS REGULARLY
Flossing once a day removes the food debris that gets stuck between teeth. Even if your teeth look clean, they oftentimes have a range of debris that is stuck between them. Removing this debris removes a food source for bacteria to feast on and proliferate. This prevents both decay of your teeth and a build-up of odor-causing bacteria. Maybe we’ll call that pro-dating tip number two.
MAKE SURE YOUR DIET IS TEETH-HEALTHY
Your diet is one of those great secret weapons against dental decay that not many people know enough about. We all know that candy and soda are to be avoided when it comes to dental health, but keep in mind that grains, carbohydrates, and certain fruit can add to this as well. It’s a known anthropological fact that our ancestors’ dental health was reduced when they domesticated grains — this applies here as well. On your next visit to the dentist, ask what they would suggest for a change in diet. When we dentists are in your mouth looking around, we can see dietary signs in your teeth that tell us about what you eat and can tell you if you eat too much sugar, not enough vitamin C, calcium, and more. In addition, there are a number of foods that simply cause better dental health from their makeup and dietary benefit. For more information on teeth friendly diet and nutrition check out our Oral Health Friendly Foods article here!
LET FLUORIDE SIT ON YOUR TEETH
Only about 47% of Canadians drink water containing fluoride. Fluoride is an excellent enamel strengthener and regular application of it can help your teeth avoid cavities. One uncommon trick is to add a thin layer of fluoride-containing toothpaste to your teeth after rinsing your mouth out before you go to bed. Not only is your breath a bit more minty-fresh, but a regular treatment of this will have big dental-health benefits.
GET REGULAR CHECK-UPS
We know that everyone gets busy, but, regardless of your schedule, getting your teeth inspected at least once or twice a year is suggested to simply double-check, and to save you undue damage from a problem that might not hurt, but is noticeable to a trained dental professional. In the long run, this will save you and your insurance company lots of money. Issues that compound in seriousness can go from something we can handle with advice, a cleaning, or a cheap operation, to one that can run through your dental insurance premium in no time and cost you more afterward.
Here at Trillium Dental in or around Ottawa, Canada, we urge you to follow good dental hygiene and let us provide high-quality, professional care for your teeth wherever you are. We have a range of high-quality and professional dental offices that put their patient’s first and offer everything from teeth whitening to Invisalign, veneers, and restorative dentistry. We accept most insurances and look forward to hearing from you. Call us at 613-695-0544 or contact us online to learn more.