Tips for Better Dental Health

 When it comes to your oral health, you should be doing everything that you can to ensure that your teeth stay at their best and brightest. Of course, everyone knows the basics of dental care like brushing twice a day, flossing, avoiding sugary snacks etc, but there are plenty of other things that you need to know as well.

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For bigger changes and treatments for you or your kids, you may well want to go to the professionals like teen orthodontics specialists. However, if you are looking for a few things that you can do by yourself, these are what we will be taking a closer look at in this article.

Angle the Brush Correctly 

First and foremost, when you are brushing your teeth, you need to ensure that the bristles are angled correctly. You should be aiming to get the head of the brush at a 45-degree angle to the gum line when you are cleaning both the inside and outside surfaces of your teeth.

Don’t Forget About Your Tongue

To make sure that you are really tackling any plaque and bacteria that has gathered on, around or under your tongue, you should be cleaning it on a daily basis. You can either use a toothbrush or a specialised tongue cleaner to do this. Some toothbrushes even come with a tongue cleaner on the opposite side to the bristles. The other advantage of cleaning your tongue on a daily basis is that it will help you to prevent bad breath.

Wear a Mouthguard for Physical Activity 

While sports are good for your body, they do present potential hazards to your mouth. If you want to take extra care of your teeth, it may be worth investing in a mouth guard yourself - particularly if you are planning on engaging in any ‘rougher’ physical activities. Even if it is not a team sport, there is always a chance you could trip into something and damage your mouth.

Don’t Use Mouthwash Straight After Brushing 

Hopefully, you are already using toothpaste which contains fluoride. But if you are using mouthwash right after you brush, it may not have had the chance to take full effect. So, you should aim to wait at least 15 minutes after you have brushed so that you have given the fluoride a chance to work its magic. 

Chew More

After eating or drinking (particularly sugary food), you could chew sugar-free gum to help protect your teeth and gums. An alternative solution is to finish off your meal with a cube of cheese which plays a part in reducing the effects of acid on your teeth.

Get Out in the Sun

You may not have automatically thought of stepping outside into the sunlight as a way to improve your oral health, but the vitamin D that you receive from the sun helps to keep both your teeth and your gums strong and healthy.

Seal Off Your Back Teeth

The back teeth are often prone to problems as they are harder to reach and so you often don’t brush them as well as you can. To help protect them, you could apply a thin protective coating known as a sealant which is designed to prevent both decay and cavities. Taking an extra precaution like this can make all the difference in the long run.

Avoid Bad Habits

There are plenty of bad habits which can have a detrimental effect on your dental health. For example, excessive nail biting can end up causing hard to both your teeth and your gums. Similarly, grinding or clenching your teeth is something which you should get out of. The last thing that you want is to have an improper bite or crooked teeth. While brushing on a regular basis is important, you don’t want to brush too hard as this can wear away the protective enamel on your teeth. Avoid putting your teeth through any trials that you don’t really need to. If you are the kind of person who crunches on ice whenever you have a drink or use your teeth as a bottle opener, these are two habits which you really need to get out of. Finally, people tend to eat a huge amount more sugar than they need on a daily basis, so if you can cut out some drinks or snacks from your life, your mouth will thank you for it.

So, there you have just a few of the things that you can do (beyond the obvious) to improve your dental health.    

How Clear Aligners Have the Edge Over Braces

 

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Clear aligners are taking the world of orthodontics by storm at the moment, and — if anything — they only seem likely to continue to grow in popularity as time goes on.

Traditional wire braces have been the standard orthodontic on offer, every time anyone has wanted straight teeth in the past. But wire braces can be uncomfortable and visually unappealing, and even come with certain serious risks for overall dental health if they’re not applied and monitored carefully.

Here are just a few reasons why clear aligners have the edge over braces.

By being all but invisible on a day-to-day basis

One of the big selling points of clear aligners is the fact that as you wear them and go about your day-to-day life during your treatment, they are all but invisible to the naked eye.

In fact, it would often take someone staring into your mouth intently for a while in order to notice that you were wearing them at all.

Traditional wire braces, on the other hand, are immediately visually recognisable. Some people don’t mind the way they look and don’t feel discouraged from wearing them for that reason, but many other people do.

Due to their being essentially invisible, clear aligners are a great option for anyone who is potentially self-conscious about the appearance of their mouth. They are also a good option for adults who might feel that braces convey a childish look so, having looked up things like the Invisalign cost, have decided to save for this type of treatment as an alternative. The look of traditional braces ends up being the factor that prevents those individuals from getting their teeth straightened at all.

By allowing you to avoid any food restrictions — as you take out the aligners to eat and drink

One of the banes of traditional wire braces is that they end up quite seriously limiting the foods that their wearers are allowed to eat during treatment. Certain foods can end up damaging the braces, or are likely to get stuck and cause tooth decay or other issues.

Since braces are fitted “permanently” and don’t come off for the duration of treatment, this could mean that you might go for a couple of years without being able to eat some of your favourite foods.

Clear aligners, on the other hand, are taken out every time you eat or brush your teeth — and they are quick, easy and painless to remove.

These Marlborough dentists add that clear aligners help maintain overall oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment. Since they are removable, you can also use floss and mouthwash more effectively, reaching areas that traditional braces might obstruct. This ensures that your teeth and gums remain healthy throughout the treatment process, reducing the risk of long-term issues like gum disease or plaque buildup.

As long as you remember to take them out when eating (this is extremely important), you can eat or drink whatever you want.

By allowing for better and easier cleaning of teeth

Many sets of teeth have ended up becoming badly damaged due to tooth decay that occurred while wearing traditional braces.

In some cases, this is because the braces weren’t being properly monitored by the orthodontist. In other cases, it’s because the patient wasn’t able to consistently clean their teeth properly while wearing the braces — as cleaning your teeth while wearing braces is significantly more tricky.

Clear aligners, on the other hand, are far less likely to lead to tooth decay and other dental issues. You simply take out the aligners and clean your teeth as you normally would, twice a day. Far less stressful. Just remember not to eat or drink anything other than water without taking the aligners out.