Your Oral Health

Keeping your teeth, gums, jawbone, and the supporting tissues clean are very important in maintaining good oral health. By brushing, flossing, and also brushing/scraping your tongue can prevent mouth problems and diseases. When you stop taking care of your teeth, you will not only get cavities, stained teeth, toothaches, and crooked teeth, your mouth will be at risk of diseases such as gum diseases, diabetes, HIV, cancer, and even eating disorders.

Below, Whoopi Goldberg tells us about her oral health. She explains the importance of good oral health and prevent periodontal disease!

Bad oral habits

Your gums, teeth, and mouth are all very important to your overall health. Research confirms that poor oral health can cause systemic diseases such as Diabetes in people of all ages and respiratory diseases particularly among elderly people.

Teeth are basically meant for chewing or biting food and not for tearing packages open, pulling tags off new clothes, undoing knots or cracking nuts! The impact of these behaviors ranges from minor to major

Some bad oral habits that people have:

Chewing Ice-Chewing Ice can lead to gum injuries or even broken teeth. To avoid this habit, try chewing baby carrots or apple chunks when you feel you need to crunch on something. The urge to chew ice can also be symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia.

Using your teeth as a scissors-Many people use their teeth as a multi-purpose tool to cut through string, open packages or remove tags from clothing.

Using toothpicks improperly-Tooth pick is used to remove food from between your teeth when you do not have floss handy, but it can also hurt or injure your gums or break off between your teeth.

Chewing pencils, pens and other hard objects-Students and professionals sometimes have a bad habit of chewing pencils, pens and other hard objects. It can fracture your teeth leading to unnecessary dental repairs.

Bad oral habits can lead to fractured teeth resulting in liquids leaking inside the tooth, discomfort and decay, root canals, damaged and or misaligned teeth, and more.

Tips for breaking bad oral habits

-Floss at least once a day. It helps remove bits of food and dental plaque in places your toothbrush cannot find. It also keeps your gums healthy.

-Brush after every meal or at least twice a day, this helps to prevent tooth decay.

-Clean your tongue every time you brush with a toothbrush or a tongue scraper. Bacteria that settle on your tongue causing bad breath, also known as halitosis.

-Replace your toothbrush regularly every 3 months.

-Eat a balanced diet like vegetables and fruit instead of having too much sweets.

Regular dental visits.

How should I be brushing my teeth?

When brushing, use a soft toothbrush. Point the bristles of the toothbrush toward the gums. Brush your teeth back and forth on all sides of your teeth (inside/tongue side, outside/cheek side, and the top where you chew). Always brush your tongue.

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