With the changes brought about by COVID-19, it’s easy to get out of your day-to-day routine. During this time, it’s important to prioritize your mental health, physical health, immune system, and habits that promote good dental hygiene. Here are a few helpful tips to remember while under quarantine.
1. Brushing Twice a Day
Brushing twice a day is important because when you eat, leftover bits of food mix with the bacteria inside your mouth to form plaque. Although the development of plaque is a natural process, it can really damage your teeth and cause more problems in the long run.
- Prevents Tartar Buildup: Tartar, or dental calculus, is plaque that has calcified on the teeth. Tartar traps stains creates discoloration and makes it harder to remove bacteria and plaque. This creates a strong bond that can only be removed by a dental professional and can be costly.
- Prevents Gum Disease: Gum disease is essentially an infection of the tissues that hold your teeth in place. By not brushing twice a day, you are more likely to have plaque form on the teeth, which leads to gum disease. The symptoms of gum disease include painful chewing, sore gums, sensitive teeth, persistent bad breath, etc. Gum disease is preventable by taking precautions and keeping up with basic dental hygiene.
2. Flossing Daily
Most people wouldn’t say that flossing is at the top of their list of favorite things to do. For that reason, many people choose not to floss, while others only floss occasionally. However, flossing daily is important for your oral health, and it only takes a few minutes a day to do it right. If you are wondering why flossing is so important, here’s what you need to know.
- Prevent Tooth Decay and Gum Disease: While brushing your teeth can clean the majority of your tooth surfaces, it isn’t very effective at getting in between the teeth. That means bacteria and plaque may still exist in these spaces, even after a thorough brushing, leading to tooth decay and gum disease (gingivitis). Dental floss is designed specifically to clean these hard-to-reach spaces, ensuring that plaque is removed from every part of your teeth.
- Fight Bad Breath: No one wants bad breath. But, if dental plaque and food particles remain trapped between your teeth, you are more likely to experience halitosis. Flossing helps remove plaque and food from between the teeth, decreasing your chances of having bad breath by limiting the effects of odor-causing bacteria.
- Maintain Your Overall Health: Gum disease has been associated with increased risks of developing a range of dangerous health problems, including heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. Largely, this is because bacteria in the mouth can enter the body, especially if you experience bleeding gums. By flossing, you can keep bacteria at bay, lowering your chance of developing one of these potentially deadly health conditions.
3. Maintain a Healthy Diet and Limit Alcohol Intake
By consistently eating fatty foods and drinking sugar-filled cocktails, we put the health of our teeth at risk. Drinking things like coffee and sodas can also take a toll on your dental hygiene. It is highly recommended to eat things like fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts. For healthier drink options, it is recommended to drink water, tea, and milk.
- Limiting Alcohol, Coffee, and Soda Intake: Everyone enjoys a drink from time to time, but making this a prominent part of your lifestyle can put your teeth at risk. Drinking a lot of alcohol can result in taking in more sugar and acidity, depending on your drink of choice. This is not great for your teeth, but having a drink in moderation is okay! It is also highly recommended to limit coffee intake, as it leads to yellowing of the teeth.
- Monitoring Diet: Your diet greatly impacts the health of your teeth! Your teeth work hard to break down the different kinds of foods we eat. By eating things like fish, nuts, fruits, yogurts, and cheese, it makes this process easier and better for your teeth, as well as your overall health.
Overall, being in quarantine is a strange time for everyone. Keeping up with your dental hygiene is a crucial part of getting through this. Taking care of your teeth is so important for the long term! By neglecting to practice good dental hygiene, it can cause problems and be costly to your wallet. Keeping up with basic dental hygiene is a good rule of thumb to follow year-round. Stay safe and stay positive!