Brushing your teeth is one of the best ways to prevent cavities and improve your oral health, but did you know that there are some surprising ways that you can improve your oral health that don’t include your toothbrush?
After all cavities and can lead to gum disease and a build up of bacteria can often lead to deeper health issues. A well balanced lifestyle, including a healthy diet can help improve your oral health, plus these tips can help you improve your oral health.
Eat Less Sugar
Sugar and syrup including sucrose which is the number one cause of tooth decay and cavities, is found in almost all packaged foods. In fact sugar itself is not what causes the cavities, it is the fact that the sugar stays on the teeth and eats into the enamel. Sugar is found in almost all packaged foods and all desserts such as candies, cookies, cakes and soda pop. These are the highest offenders and many starchy foods that have gluten such as bread and many morning cereals also have a lot of hidden sugar.
Limit Dried Fruit
Be extra careful when you’re eating fruit such as dried fruit as many of these have a sugarcoating to prevent them from going bad on the shelf. The sugar happens to be the number one contributor to causing tooth decay. One suggestion is to simply brush your teeth and rinse your mouth after eating such foods. This will prevent the sugar from eating into the tooth enamel, therefore reducing your chance of getting cavities.
Eat More Apples
Apples could be a great way to improve your oral health. In fact dentists often call them nature’s toothbrush because they stimulate your gum tissue and will often increases saliva flow inside of your mouth. This will always lead to less cavity causing bacteria. Chronic dry mouth can also contribute to a lot of tooth decay, which is why drinking water and eating food such as watermelon and apples can slow the process of cavity production.
Be Proactive
Gum disease is the number one oral health disease and many people don’t even recognize that they have it. If your gums are tender to the touch or bleed when you floss, you could have gum disease. In fact visiting your dentist can help you improve your health dramatically. Gum disease is easy to get if your neglect your teeth if you have a poor diet this can also lead to gum disease and other health issues.
If you have red or inflamed gums that are puffy or sore to the touch you could have gingivitis which is gum disease. If they’re red, swollen or bleed this is usually a buildup of plaque in the mouth and can easily be treated by proper brushing and flossing. If however after a few days it is left untreated or the condition worsens visit your dentist immediately as an infection could take place and cause you to lose your teeth.
