You may think that all you need to do to keep your smile looking its best is to brush and floss your teeth regularly, and of course, make sure you keep up with your dental checkups. While these strategies are the best preventive measures, they are not the only ones. There are many things that factor into a vibrant, healthy smile.
The Liquids You Drink and Foods You Eat
By now you are well aware of the cautions about eating sweets and drinking sugary beverages. Juice seems to be a great alternative to sweet drinks; however, many commercial juices have added sugar and some can have more sugar than soda. Be sure to read the label and if sugar is one of the first five ingredients, you may want to reconsider your choice.
Foods containing a large amount of sugar are also hard on your teeth. Besides increasing your risk for weight gain, sugary foods can increase your risk of developing dental disease. Harmful bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugars contained in food and produce acids that eat away at dental enamel.
Certain areas of your mouth may be more vulnerable to these harmful bacteria. Any area that is difficult to clean will be more likely to collect bacteria. Also, if you have old fillings or dental work that is loose or leaking, the bacteria can seep into those areas and cause problems. Sometimes the damage to a tooth from decay cannot be seen unless an x-ray is taken. Decay can spread rapidly underneath old fillings and be unnoticeable until either identified by a dental professional or the tooth becomes sensitive to temperature changes due to the decay.
Regular dental checkups and dental cleanings can help stops such problems before the get out of hand. Another way to keep dental disease at bay is to make healthy choices with the foods you eat. Healthy foods help to keep your teeth strong and free from decay. Choosing foods such as apples and raw carrots can also help keep plaque from building up on teeth.
The tough texture of such fibrous foods can work to help keep your teeth cleaner by generating mouth cleansing saliva. Vitamin A is a necessary nutrient for building strong teeth and foods like celery and carrots are good sources of beta carotene, which produces this important vitamin.
Keep Your Mouth Moisturized
If you wear a mask for hours at a time, you are probably breathing through your mouth more than usual. This creates dry mouth, which increases the risk of developing dental decay and gum disease. Removing your mask when outdoors and only wearing it when necessary will help. Also, increasing your water intake will help. Consider chewing sugarless gum or sucking on sugarless hard candy to stimulate your salivary glands to secrete more saliva.
We know you always want to look your best. At Creative Dentistry & MedSpa, we help you maintain a beautiful and healthy smile. Call us today to schedule an exam to ensure that your mouth stays healthy.
Posted on behalf of Creative Dentistry & MedSpa