Dental hygiene-you brush daily,some of us once every day, some of us twice a day, but still we are not doing our best to take care of our teeth.Taking care of our teeth may not seem much but it is the teeth that gives us a better look, a beautiful smile and a good speech pattern.Not taking care of our tooth will result on plaque, and it may cause un reversable damages to your teeth.Studies show that even though you brush thoroughly, you still miss over 30% of tooth surfaces.So if we know the facts well, we can be effective in taking care of our teeth.

Good eating habits always help in preserving your teeth.Avoid food that can affect the protective layer of your tooth(the thing that gives shine to our tooth).Make sure that you goggle your mouth or use a tooth pick so that after a meal, you don't have food particle stuck between your teeth.Because apart from causing bad breath, it'll also aid in development of harmful bacteria.Your mouth may seem clean but it is one of the most suited place for harmful bacterias, since most of the time our mouth is exposed to the air around us, which obviously is filled with microbes.

Here are some simple things you can do to take care of your teeth:

Brush your teeth properly and don't over do the process of brushing.Studies show that if you use excessive tooth paste or if you brush for longer than needed then you'll end up affecting your gums and surface of your teeth.

So use only the needed amount of paste and brush for only the necessary amount of time(if you use excessive past,you'll definitely get irritation while brushing).

Some people have the habit of brushing teeth while reading news paper or doing some work in the morning or even while watching tv, avoid that! because when you are brushing, you need to be concentrating on that only.Moreover you'll be brushing for only a few minutes so if you give attention to what you are doing, you can be effective in cleaning your teeth.

Experts say two to four minutes is all that you need to brush your teeth and fast brushing action is not advisable since it may cause damage to both your teeth and gum.

Scraping your tongue daily is essential.Your tongue hosts more bacteria than any other part of your mouth.Also make sure that you don't damage the surface of your tongue in the process(preferably, avoid using metal tongue cleaners).

Flossing( cleaning the area between your teeth with thread) is good.Since whatever you do, it's always harder to clean the area in-between the teeth.Also don't use any thread for flossing, there are specialized thread that are available just for flossing purposes.Because if you use threads that are used for stitching, they are too thin, that while you floss your teeth, they may cut your skin between your teeth.

So using a toothpick and Floss are good.

Make sure you replace your brushes when they are worn out.Also use suitable brush(hardness, the profile of the brush head,etc.,) and make sure you clean your brushes before you brush your teeth and after you brush your teeth.

Experts advice that you brush your teeth once, rinse your teeth and then do a quick cleanup with your brush without tooth paste but only with some water.This ensures that excess tooth paste doesn't get stuck to your tooth.

Also make sure that you are using the right kind of tooth paste that doesn't cause irritation to you and that which suits you.Since there are tooth pastes with herbals, mouth fresheners,fluorides, etc.,Be sure that you visit your dentist every 3 or 4 months and get your teeth checked up.

Hope these tings that we discussed will help you be more effective in taking care of your teeth, and happy brushing from now on!.

• Written by Thirukumaran.
• In category Personal Care.
• 15 years ago.

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