What Can You Do To Help Your Dental Health? Here Are Some Tips!
Did you know that snails have more teeth than any animal?
Did you know that many rodents have teeth that never stop growing? Sharks have rows of teeth that continue to replenish themselves. So, why is it that as humans, we only get 2 sets of teeth, and BOTH sets matter?!
February is Children’s Dental Health Month, and we, here at Mountain Springs Advanced Dental in Colorado, want to share that taking care of baby teeth is just as important as taking care of our adult teeth.
Due to a diet higher in sugar and refined carbohydrates, we are more prone to cavities than animals. Thankfully we have many things that we can do to reduce our risk of cavities:
Brush your teeth!
Brushing for 2 minutes twice a day is a minimum dental health tip, to keeping plaque and cavity-causing bacteria off your teeth.
A quality electric toothbrush is a good way to make sure that we, and our kids, are brushing for the full 2 minutes. Once your kids can spit toothpaste out, they are ready to start using a fluoridated toothpaste.
Don’t forget to floss!
Flossing is a key dental health tip.
Often using a floss pick, or water flosser is much easier for hands that are still learning complicated tasks such as flossing. There are other options for cleaning in between teeth. This is where your dental hygienist is helpful in determining the best option.
Fluoride treatments!
Professional fluoride varnish applications as recommended by your hygienist.
Fluoride absorbs into the outer layer of our teeth and can strengthen the enamel so that we are less likely to develop cavities. Fluoride has proven safe and effective at greatly reducing the likelihood of cavities — a secret dental health tip that not everyone knows about.
Sealants!
Sealants are a thin, protective coating that helps prevent cavities from forming on the chewing surfaces of teeth.
Due to kids’ diets and frequent snacking, the highest risk of cavities occurs on the chewing surfaces, and sealants can drastically reduce the occurrence of decay. Take away from this dental health tip — get the dental recommended amount of sealants.
Speaking of snacking!
It can be tough, but the frequency of sugar and acid exposure is much more of a concern that the quantity of exposure. So, the more often we snack, the higher risk of cavities. Foods such as crackers and bread turn into sugar on the teeth, so try to replace with cheese or other crunchy veggie sticks that don’t stick to our teeth.
Think you’re doing all of these and then some, or maybe you could be following more dental health tips? Either way, come visit us at Mountain Springs Advanced Dental in Colorado to see where you’re at.
Contact us today to schedule your cleaning.
