Benefits of At-Home Care: Making Sure You Have Healthy Gums and Teeth
Brushing your teeth twice a day, everyday, is the standard practice for at-home oral care. However, after a long day, it’s difficult to remember to brush and floss your teeth before going to bed. The benefits of caring of your smile outweigh how tedious it can be to consistently brush and floss, or to do one and not the other.
At River Dental, a general dental practice, we provide dental care and education to all our patients and their families. This blog details the benefits of optimal at-home care.
Preventing Serious Decay
Your mouth is home to billions of bacteria; some beneficial and some not. At-home care can prevent the spread and advancement of harmful bacteria. The carbohydrates of leftover food debris are food for bacteria, aiding their development. If left to grow, bacteria secrete acids that create plaque. This sticky matrix can be felt by just running your tongue over the fronts of teeth, and can sometimes feel film over enamel. The bacterial acids in plaque break down tooth enamel, causing tooth damage that results in cavities.
Brushing your teeth twice a day can remove the plaque before it hardens to tartar; which occurs after a day or two. This hardened material irritates and inflames gum tissues, making it easier for bacteria to grow beneath the gum line. After continued exposure to bacteria, the gums pull away from the surface of the tooth. Healthy gum pocket depth measures within 3 millimeters, but anything greater prompts gum disease treatment. In order to prevent these pockets from forming, or to eliminate any plaque that may have developed, flossing once if not twice daily is recommended.
These two components of at-home oral care, flossing and brushing twice daily, are simple things you can do between regular dental appointments to keep your smile as healthy as possible.
Additional Steps to Add to You At-Home Care
If you find that you’d like to do more with your at-home care, adding fluoride mouthwash can help protect and strengthen your enamel and keep your smile fresh and clean.
If you have any further questions on how to properly care for your smile at home, contact us at River Dental in Stratford for more information and schedule a consultation.