3 Ways To Reduce Your Chance Of Tooth Decay And Gum Disease

Healthy teeth and gums are often products of good oral hygiene. Many people brush and floss daily, but there are even more ways to protect your teeth. Here are a few additional things that you can do to reduce your chance of tooth decay and gum disease:

Eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

By choosing fresh fruits and vegetables, you can avoid excessive amounts of sugar on which oral bacteria can feed. Oral bacteria like to eat simple carbohydrates, such as the sucrose found in junk food. Although some fruits and vegetables do contain limited amounts of fructose, the amount of the sugar is usually much less than that found in commercial desserts and snacks.

Additionally, due to the rough texture of hard fruits and vegetables, plaque can be scraped from the teeth as you chew.

Rinse your mouth with fluoridated water after snacks and meals.

Water can be of great use for avoiding tooth decay. Since decay is caused by demineralizing acid from oral bacteria as well as from ingested sources, it is important to neutralize or dilute the acid in the mouth. Water can help dilute acid to raise the pH to a less damaging level.

Fluoridated water can also help repair areas of weakened enamel. When exposed to acid, minerals in the tooth enamel are dissolved. Fluoride can help draw the minerals back to the tooth and combine with those displaced minerals to form a new tooth material that resists acid better than the original material of the teeth.

Practice oil pulling.

Oil pulling uses healthy, edible oil to trap and remove bacteria from the mouth. During this practice, a spoonful of oil is placed in the mouth and moved about like mouthwash. As the oil comes in contact with oral bacteria, the microbes become trapped. Due to the fluid, slippery nature of the oil, the oil can readily access places in the mouth that are too tight to be reached using a toothbrush or dental floss.

After the oil has been moved about the mouth for around 20 minutes, it is spit out, and the oral bacteria are discarded with it. Once the oil is released, the patient can rinse his or her mouth before brushing his or her teeth with conventional toothpaste.

Many oils contain anti-inflammatory properties to help prevent inflammation of the gums that could lead to severe cases of gum disease. In addition, some oils, such as coconut oil and olive oil, have antibacterial components that kill bacteria instead of only trapping the microbes.

To learn more things that you can do to keep your teeth and gums healthy, schedule a consultation with a dentist like Bonnie S Marshall.