How to Keep Your Teeth Healthy and Strong for Your Lifetime

It’s common in entertainment (sitcoms, movies, and cartoons) to see seniors with false teeth.

For example, in an episode of I Love Lucy, Lucy and Ricky pretend to be older than they are to deter some young, smitten neighbors. At one point, Ricky smiles, and Lucy says, “Don’t tell me someone your age still has your own teeth.”

The idea that it’s natural to lose our teeth as we age has been pounded into us for decades – but this doesn’t have to be your eventuality.

With help from your Gardena dentist, you can achieve healthy teeth and gums for a lifetime.

Why Are Brushing and Flossing so Important?

The first step toward healthy teeth and gums is to brush and floss regularly. By regularly, we mean daily.

Manually removing plaque and food debris is necessary for strong teeth and healthy gums. If you don’t remove those substances, the plaque will calcify, turning into tartar/calculus. As tartar builds up, it acts like a sliver that irritates the gums and causes inflammation and, eventually, an infection. Likewise, food particles irritate the delicate gum tissue.

Daily brushing and flossing remove a significant amount of bacteria and reduces the risk of:

• Gum disease
• Decay
• Oral infections
• Gum recession
• Tooth loss

Is There a Proper Way to Brush Your Teeth?

Brush your teeth at least twice a day. If possible, brush after every meal. Each brushing session should last about two minutes.

Angle your toothbrush toward the gum line so the bristles can get as far below the gums as possible. Brush in small, gentle circles along the front and back of every tooth. Don’t forget the biting surfaces, too.

What Is the Proper Way to Floss?

You’ll want to use a technique called C-shaped flossing . Wrap the floss around each middle finger. Hold a small piece of floss between your thumb and index finger. Gently slide the floss down one side of the tooth. Go down below the gum line until you can’t go any further. Slide up and down about three times, then wrap the floss around the adjacent tooth and do the same. Move to the next tooth and repeat.

Do I Need to Use Mouth Rinse?

Mouth rinse can help freshen your breath and kill some bacteria. However, it’s not a cure-all or a substitute for brushing and flossing. Mouth rinse can’t clean under the gum line like floss.

Additionally, over-the-counter mouth rinses probably won’t do much good if you have severe periodontal disease. But your Gardena dentist can prescribe a mouth rinse that kills the stubborn bacteria contributing to gum disease. Again, this isn’t meant to replace brushing and flossing. You must manually remove plaque and food particles to maintain good oral health.

Should I Use Additional Dental Tools?

If you can afford to invest in an electric toothbrush, by all means, do so (even for your kids ). An electric toothbrush serves you in multiple ways.

• Reduces gum recession and irritation: Electric toothbrushes have a feature built into them that helps prevent people from brushing too hard. If you press too hard when brushing, the toothbrush stalls or stops altogether. Brushing harder does not equate to a more thorough clean. Instead, it can irritate the gum tissue, resulting in recession, exposed roots, and a higher risk of sensitivity and root surface decay.
• Thoroughly cleans the teeth: Electric toothbrushes move between 3,000 and 7,500 rotations per minute (RPM). You only get about 300 RPMs with a manual toothbrush. With the extra rotations, it’s easier to thoroughly clean plaque from your teeth and remove stains.
• You brush long enough: Many electric toothbrushes have built-in timers. You can set the timer for how long you must brush, and you don’t have to think about it. Just let the toothbrush do its job. Listen to your favorite music or podcast while you slowly move from tooth to tooth; your timer will tell you when it’s time to quit.

A Waterpik can also prove beneficial, especially if you have braces, a fixed retainer, a bridge, implants, or gaps between your teeth. A Waterpik sprays water around these appliances and any gaps and helps remove food debris. This device can help prevent gum disease and decay, thereby protecting your oral health and any restorative dental investments you’ve made.

How Can Regular Dental Visits with a Gardena Dentist Promote Good Oral Health?

Besides oral hygiene at home, another way to ensure you keep your teeth for a lifetime is by visiting your Gardena dentist regularly. We recommend getting a cleaning and check-up every six months.

Regular cleanings remove any tartar build-up that may occur in hard-to-reach areas. They also allow us to regularly monitor the health of your gum tissue so we can catch and treat issues early.

Additionally, regular exams help us keep an eye on the health of your teeth, soft tissues, and jawbones. An early diagnosis means we can retain as much healthy tooth structure as possible if you need a restorative procedure. And if there’s evidence of clenching and grinding (bruxism), we can offer treatment options that prevent further damage to your teeth and jaw joints.

How Can Nutrition Keep Your Teeth and Gums Healthy?

Finally, the foods and beverages you consume can profoundly impact the health of your teeth and gums .

Your Gardena dentist recommends eating foods high in vitamins and minerals, such as:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Nuts and seeds
• Lean meats
• Seafood and fish oils
• Soy products
• Dairy products
• Vitamin/mineral-fortified foods and beverages

They also recommend reducing your intake of high-sugar, high-sodium processed foods (including soda). These foods can raise your risk of decay, gum disease, and dry mouth.

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water to combat xerostomia and ensure you have plenty of saliva flow to lower your risk of decay.

Your Gardena Dentist Wants to Help You Keep Your Teeth Forever

We’re in the dental profession because we want to help people achieve and maintain optimal oral health. We also want to help prevent dental pain or eliminate it as quickly as possible.

Yes, we offer restorative services, like fillings, crowns, and even dentures. Ultimately, though, we want to help you keep your teeth and experience good oral health for a lifetime.

Contact Gardena Dental Care at 424-295-7885 to schedule a cleaning and check-up. You can also use our online contact form.