PREVENTIVE AND HYGIENE.

Good oral health involves more than just brushing of teeth. Some of the steps needed to keep your teeth healthy and mouth freshly for a life time of use are mentioned below.

• Understanding our own oral health needs.
  Consult your Dentist, oral health care specialist, or hygienist about the special conditions in your mouth and talk about the ways in which your medical health conditions affect your teeth or oral health. Tell your dentist if you have experienced a change in your general health or in any medications you are taking.
• Develop and follow a daily oral health routine.
  Develop an oral health routine that is easy to follow on a daily basis based on the discussion with your dentist or other oral health care specialist considering your unique general health and oral health situations. Make sure you understand and follow the additional care and or treatments that are needed. Commit to the extra tasks and work them into your daily health routine.
• Use fluoride.
  Fluoride strengthens developing teeth in children and prevents tooth decay in both children and adults. Fluoride levels in water may not be high enough without supplementation to prevent tooth decay.  Many tooth pastes and mouth rinses contain fluoride.
• Brush and Floss daily.
  Brush your teeth twice a day, morning and before bed and floss at least once a day. These activities remove plaque, which if not removed, combines with sugars to form acids that lead to tooth decay. Bacterial plaque also causes gum disease and other periodontal diseases.
• Eat a balanced diet and limit sugar.
  One can eat a variety of foods, but eat fewer foods that contain sugars and starches, for example: cookies, cakes, candies, ice cream, dried fruits, white rice, white bread, potatoes, potato chips and soft drinks are all high in sugar content. These foods produce acids in the mouth, which begin the decay process. Brushing your teeth after every meal is the best prevention.
• If you use tobacco products, quit.
  Cigarettes smoking or using tobacco products increases the risk of oral cancer and cancers of the larynx, pharynx and esophagus; gum disease; as well as causes bad breath, tooth discoloration and contributes to other oral and general health problems.
• Examine your mouth regularly.
  Examine the development of any spots, lesions, cuts, swellings or growths on your gums, tongue, and cheeks, inside of your lips, and floor and roof of your mouth. Become familiar with the appearance of your mouth and teeth through regular examination, so that any changes may be noticed at an early stage and have these changes examined by a dentist. If you experience any change in your bite or develop pain, get the mouth examined by your dentist for any signs of chipping or cracking, discoloration, and looseness. An oral examination is particularly important to those who use tobacco, as they are prone to high risk of developing oral cancer.
• Visit your dentist regularly.
  The standard recommendation to visit your dentist is twice a year for checkups and cleanings and develop a partnership with your dentist so as to ask for more information about the treatment or procedure.