Why is our teeth important?
Part of what makes us physically attractive is our smile. A smile would require a healthy mouth and a good set of teeth. This makes our teeth an important asset in our body. Not only that, our teeth have three of the most critical jobs for our body; and that is to eat and talk. Without our teeth, it would be impossible to bite, chew and swallow our food, as well as to speak clearly. It also gives us a sense of confidence for our appearance as well as keep our jaws steady.
Understanding the anatomy of our teeth
Our teeth are made up of the incisors, canines, molars, and premolars. As children, the mouth is made up of 20 baby teeth which slowly falls out as we age. An average adult usually has a full set of 32 teeth in the mouth. The incisors and canines are located at the front of the teeth, and the molars and premolars are at the back. The function of the incisors and canines are to bite our food, while the molars and premolars are what helps us chew and crush the food into pieces easy enough to swallow.
Because our teeth are so valuable, it is important that we should always take good care of it. Since childhood, we have been trained on proper dental care. Unfortunately, people often take advantage of the importance of maintaining proper dental care which is why a lot of people are now experiencing a lot of dental-related problems.
What happens when we don’t care for our teeth?
When our teeth is properly taken care of, it is a sign that we have optimized our health and well-being aside from being able to utilize its important functions. It is always a good idea to make sure that we are always minding the important features of our dental hygiene. Once we disregard our dental health at an extensive period, plaque and bad breath are just some of the few problems we will experience orally. Often, our lifestyle and eating habits may lead to poor dental hygiene which we need to constantly address before we suffer from dental issues. Some of bad these habits include:
When we puff a cigarette, the pungent odor will linger around the mouth causing foul breath. The black tar residue after puffing a cigarette will stick on our teeth causing it to appear stained. At the same time, drinking excessive alcohol can also cause bad breath because of the strong odor. There are ways to curb your appetite for smoking and alcohol drinking.
- Eating foods that have strong and overwhelming scents
When we eat too much food like garlic, onion and other strong spices, it would cause bad breath and staining of the teeth. Rinsing your mouth and drinking plenty of water is always a good idea to lose the bad odor from these foods.
- Taking medications
Often, some pharmaceutical medicines can cause dryness of the mouth. Our saliva is what neutralizes and flushes out the germs and odor in our mouth. However, without the presence of saliva our breath becomes foul. If medication may be the cause of this, it is highly recommended to check with your doctor or changing the kind of medications you’re taking.
When we don’t take care of our teeth, it will lead to the following mild to severe problems:
- Yellow and stained teeth due to bad habits and choice of food and beverages
- A buildup of plaque leading to decaying of teeth
- Pain around the mouth caused by tooth decay
How do we take care of our oral and dental health?
Taking care of every part of our body is important. The same goes for our mouth and teeth. Good dental hygiene is a sure sign of good overall health.
Below are eight top tips on taking care of our teeth:
- Brush your teeth regularly
One of the most basic step on achieving good dental health, brushing your teeth is important. It is also one of the strongest recommendations from any dentist. However when brushing your teeth, the way you brush and hold the toothbrush also matters a lot. Make sure that your toothbrush is held over the gums at an angle around 45 degrees when brushing. This makes sure that the surface of your teeth and gum line are in contact with your toothbrush. The ideal duration when brushing the teeth is at least two minutes. Not only should the teeth be brushed, but the tongue and cheeks of your mouth as well to ensure that bacteria does not linger around the mouth. Brushing your teeth should be done at least twice a day on a daily basis.
- When not brushing, floss
This is a step that is usually disregarded by a lot of people. Flossing is actually more helpful in cleaning your teeth compared to using toothpicks. Flossing can help remove the remaining food particles that cannot be reached and removed when brushing. Flossing is also one of the best recommendations by dentists and should be done at least once a day.
- Avoid strong smelling and colored food and drinks
These type of foods can contribute to teeth staining as well as bad breath so it is best to have little or avoid altogether as much as possible.
- Keep away from drinking excessive alcohol and tobacco smoking
When you avoid this bad habit completely, it can save your teeth and mouth from future problems. This kind of habit is also a big contributor of dental problems and other periodontal diseases.
- Drink plenty of water especially after eating
When we drink a lot of water, it can help flush out the germs around the teeth and mouth especially after we eat. Water adds to the saliva in our mouth which can help reduce chances of bad breath.
- Limit Intake of foods and drinks loaded with sugar
Sugars has a reputation of destroying our teeth when we don’t limit our consumption. When sugar lingers on our teeth, it would convert to an acidic substance causing our teeth to corrode. When we are not mindful, the corrosion would reach to the roots of our teeth and cause terrible pain.
- Use a mouth guard
When you are involved in extreme sports, wearing a mouth guard is highly recommended to avoid damage to your mouth and teeth from injuries.
- Schedule visits with your dentist
Visiting your dentist every six months can also help you achieve good dental health. This is because your dentist can help you identify the problem and give you advice on how to keep you safe from them in the future.
With these tips, you can help yourself from dental problems and maintain a state of good health and well-being.
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