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So, it’s a New Year and a new set of New Year’s resolutions: but what about our oral health? Maintaining a healthy mouth is easier than you think and SV Dental Centre in Melbourne is here to show you how.
Here are some of SV Dental Centre’s best tips to keep you smiling:
Just as certain bad habits affect your waistline, so too can they affect your teeth. A healthy diet is vital for the health of your teeth and mouth. A diet with poor nutritional intake can limit your immune function and increase your susceptibility to gum disease. The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in nutritious foods such as fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts improve your body’s ability to fight off bacteria and limit inflammation, keeping your oral condition in top shape.
What’s more, crisp, crunchy fruit and vegetables such as carrots, celery and apples can act as a self-cleaning mechanism. When you bite and chew these harder foods, they physically wipe away the plaque that sticks to your teeth! Just remember to brush and floss after eating all types of food, as natural sugars can also contribute to tooth decay.
Yes, it is obvious – but if quitting smoking is not included in your New Year’s Resolutions, it most definitely should be! Smoking affects the health and appearance of your teeth. Tobacco products can severely discolour your teeth, cause cavities, receding gums, gum disease, tooth loss and even throat and oral cancers. Statistics show that once you quite using tobacco products, your risk of tooth loss starts to decline almost immediately.
Alcohol can contain high levels of carbohydrates (sugars), and/or high pH levels, making them very acidic. Both of these factors affect the health of your teeth. If you smoke, make poor nutritional choices and drink excessive amounts of alcohol, you are putting your oral health in danger. Risks include major gum recession which leads to mass tooth loss.
Introducing regular brushing and flossing habits into your life is the first step toward keeping your mouth healthier, for longer. By doing this, you are helping to prevent decay and gum disease – the result of plaque not being removed each day. It’s important to note that doing one or the other is not a sustainable solution for good oral health; flossing and brushing are equally important to ensure you satisfactorily remove all of the plaque that builds up on your teeth.
Regular dental check-ups are essential for the longevity of your teeth. If lifestyle choices are placing your oral health at risk, the dentists at SV Dental Centre can identify symptoms and take action, improving the chances of prevention of any serious dental conditions.
