Charity begins at home, and so should your oral health care! Oral health is a crucial aspect of your physical, and emotional well-being. Your teeth play a vital role that helps in mastication and aesthetic enhancement. To maintain optimal oral health, you must take care of your teeth and the supporting structures.

Grand Haven Dental Care offers extensive dental care and helps guide you toward maintaining proper oral health at home.  

Significance of oral care at home

Dental home care is important irrespective of your age. Nobody is immune to dental problems. Although dentists always take charge of diagnosing and treating oral issues, it is your job too to take care of your teeth and gums. This can greatly avoid factors that could increase the risk of suffering from dental problems and other diseases. Practicing routine oral hygiene care will keep your teeth free from bacteria, plaque, and calculus which are the prime culprits of tooth decay and gum disease. 

Essential at-home oral care methods

Dental home care are essential practice that you can follow conveniently at home to keep your teeth and gums in ideal condition. These effective procedures can greatly save you time and money from extensive dental procedures since they prevent the onset or progression of several oral diseases. 

The most essential dental home care methods or practices include the following:

Regular tooth brushing

  • The American Dental Association (ADA) suggests using a soft-bristled brush and fluoridated toothpaste. 
  • You are recommended to brush your teeth twice a day, in the morning and at night before going to bed. 
  • The correct method of brushing:
    • Place the head of your brush at 45 45-degree angle to the gums, and gently brush your teeth in a small circular motion.

Dental flossing

  • Daily flossing is the best way to remove plaque from the interdental areas (area between your adjacent teeth) that are not accessible through regular brushing. 
  • This prevents damage to the teeth, gums, and the alveolar bone.
  • The correct method of flossing:
    • Take 30 to 40 cm of floss and wrap it around your middle fingers.
    • Use your thumb and forefingers to guide the floss to insert it into the interdental area using a sawing motion. 
    • Gently curve the floss into a “C” shape and gently move up and down to clean the area.

Other helpful oral aids

  • Interdental brushes
  • Mouth rinses
  • Oral irrigators

Wrapping up

Taking care of your teeth and gums is crucial since it helps prevent problems like tooth decay, gingivitis, and tooth loss. A healthy mouth paves the way to a healthy body through physical and mental rehabilitation.