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Health & Fitness
Top Tips for Healthy Teeth

Do you want a beautiful, dazzling white smile? It's as simple as following a regular dental hygiene routine. Check out our tips to keeping your mouth sparkling and healthy...

Tame your sweet tooth
Sugar maybe yummy, but too much sugar in your diet can cause dental problems. Plaque lives off sugars that get stuck to your teeth. When plaque combines with the sugars, an acid is produced that attacks tooth enamel, which leads tooth decay. Cut down on soft drinks, lollies, cakes, and biscuits for healthier teeth.


Quit smoking
If you smoke, quit. It’s easier said than done, but your teeth along with your lungs and heart will be much happier. Smoking contributes to bad breath, yellowing of the teeth and increases your risk of oral cancer, gingivitis, periodontis and tooth decay.

Floss and brush
Brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day. Brushing and flossing not only keeps your teeth nice and bright, but it helps prevent bad breathe, gum disease, plaque build up and embarrassing parsley-in-between-your-teeth moments. Research has shown that good dental hygiene helps prevent stroke and heart attacks. Bacterial plaque also causes gingivitis and other periodontal diseases, cavities and gum problems


Visit your dentist every six months
Seeing your dentist can help you detect early signs of dental problems (e.g. cavities, broken fillings, gum disease) which can be easily treated if caught early. If these problems go untreated, root canals, gum surgery and removal of teeth could become the only treatment options available, which can be very expensive and painful.

Drink plenty of water
Tape water provides extra fluoride, which helps prevent dental cavities and strengthens teeth. Water is also a non-sugary source of fluid, which can help your teeth stay clean.

 
Eat a variety of foods and limit snacks
When you eat, little bits of food get stuck to your teeth, which provides fuel for acid producing bacteria. The more often you eat and the longer food stays in your mouth, the more time bacteria have to break down sugars and produce acids which can decay your teeth. Each time you eat food containing carbohydrates (including sugar and starches) your teeth are exposed to these acids. Repeated acid attacks break down your tooth enamel and cause cavities. Cut down on snacks and when you do snack, brush your teeth or chew sugarless gum afterward to prevent your teeth from being attacked by bacterial acid.
 
Eating a variety of foods is also important. You need to eat a variety of foods to get plenty of tooth friendly vitamins (vitamin C) and minerals (fluoride and calcium) which are needed for good oral health.
 
Krystle Chester


 

 


By: Ramarea Pedersen
Last updated: 15/07/2009


 
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