Great Teeth for a Lifetime
To avoid the need for serious dental procedures, you should follow a daily oral care routine. Not only will this help to keep your teeth clean and white, it'll also minimise the risk of getting plaque and tartar build-up that can lead to unsightly teeth and serious dental conditions such as gingivitis.
Dental Plaque
Plaque lives in your mouth on the teeth, cheeks and gums. Due to the moist environment in your mouth, you can't stop them from growing and reproducing; however, you can limit their ability to cause various dental diseases with regular brushing. With just a couple of minutes a day, you can reduce the bacteria's ability to reproduce and keep them under control, killing off many that would otherwise turn into tartar. Just be sure to use a fluoride-based toothpaste and don't rinse out your mouth with water after you've finished, as the fluoride is designed to continue working even after you leave the bathroom. Other supplements with added fluoride, such as mouthwash, are great too as they help to target places where your brush can't reach. Try to pick a mouthwash without added alcohol as this can dry out your mouth and limit saliva production, which itself is the first natural defence against tooth decay.
Dental Tartar and Gingivitis
Dental plaque can begin to calcify after around 48 hours, fully hardening after around 10 days. Tartar is an unsightly yellow substance that forms on the teeth and gums and requires the assistance of a dentist to help remove it. It can lead to gingivitis, and the gums become red and inflamed and can begin to bleed. Fortunately, this isn't difficult to treat and can be reversed with a good oral hygiene routine. However, it can lead to multiple trips to the dentist, bad breath and degradation in the quality of your teeth. This can result in issues of self-consciousness in some people, and it may also mean getting dental crowns, tooth polishing or other cosmetic dentistry procedures.
Extra Brushing Tips
Whilst brushing will always be your first defence, make sure you brush correctly to remove as much bacteria from the mouth as possible. Try using a tongue scraper too and clean the bacteria from the tongue which is one of the biggest causes of bad breath. You can even use your toothbrush to do this. Just be sure to wash it off after each stroke to stop cross-contamination.
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