4 Tips To Avoid Cavities Before Damaging Your Teeth
Tooth decay is a serious problem that can have a severe impact on the rest of your life. It's impossible to regrow teeth. Once they have decayed, you can't get another organic set. To avoid having to wear dentures or implants for the rest of your life, your first line of defense should be preventing cavities. Here a few tips on how to prevent cavities in order to avoid tooth decay.
1. Switch Brushes Regularly
It's standard practice to switch your toothbrushes out every three months. Using the same brush longer than that period can have an impact on your oral health. This is because the bristles in the brush can start to collect bacteria and plaque within them. Even if you thoroughly clean your bristles, there's likely still food particles and debris clinging to them.
As a result, all you're really doing is brushing your teeth with plaque-laced and bacteria-laced bristles. This reintroduction of bacteria into your mouth can have a serious impact on just how clean your teeth are.
Switching out your toothbrushes every three months can ensure you're only using clean bristles to keep your teeth healthy.
2. Don't Forget Your Gums
One part of the brushing process that is often overlooked is your gums. Yet your gums require just as much brushing as the rest of your teeth. You'll also want to be careful that you don't brush too hard on your gums. It's easy to become abrasive and scratch your gums in the process.
If this happens, then it's possible that the scratches may become infected. You may want to skip out on brushing your teeth because of the pain. Yet this may only make the problem worse by allowing even more bacteria to grow inside your mouth.
Brush your gums gently each time you brush your teeth to avoid cavities and gum disease.
3. Use Natural Methods to Heal Your Teeth
It's possible for your teeth to heal themselves. It's easy to think of your teeth as just bones. However, they're actually far more than just that. Within your tooth is a living blood vessel that circulates blood from the gums and back. When you receive a cavity, it acts as an infection.
Proper cleaning of the infection can help cure the tooth and restore its health. Part of this practice is understanding what is good for your teeth and what isn't. You'll want to encourage saliva development because it contains enzymes that can help heal infections and keep your gums strong.
You may also want to brush with baking soda. This is a safe antibacterial powder that effectively kills infections.
4. Practice Correct Brushing Techniques
While brushing may seem straight-forward, it's easy to get it wrong. You need to brush for at least two minutes. It's best to brush twice a day. Those who really want to ensure they don't develop cavities should strive to brush after each time they eat. This ensures the food is properly removed from your teeth and plaque is unable to grow.
Besides brushing correctly, you also need to floss. While few people particularly enjoy flossing, it's vital to keep you cavity-free. By using biodegradable floss or a reusable interdental brush, you can remove stubborn debris that may be hiding between the spaces of your teeth. With plaque unable to form in these tight spaces, your teeth will be able to remain healthy and fresh.
Avoid Cavities Today
Preventing cavities takes a lot of work, but it can be done. Implement these oral health tips today and enjoy having lasting healthy teeth for the rest of your life.