subject: What Everyone Has To Know About Dental Health Care [print this page] Your physical health has more to do with your dental health than you might believe. Doctors and dentists have found that some diseases can be linked to poor dental health care. So, it would do you some good to learn how to take better care of your teeth.
If you have children, do not wait until your child develops their first teeth to begin to introduce dental care. After every feeding, take a clean damp wash cloth and gently rub it over your infant's gums. This will remove any residue on the gums and prevent early childhood cavities from developing. Once your child has started to develop their teeth, make sure that you continue to clean their teeth, again with a clean damp cloth, after every feeding.
Once your child has reached about two years of age, and they have all their teeth, switch to using an ultra soft toothbrush to clean their teeth. Most dentists recommend never using anything harder than a soft tooth brush to reduce the chance that you will cause damage to the enamel from brushing too hard. If you use too hard of a tooth brush, you stand to scratch your teeth and may irritate your gums.
Remember to use the proper technique for brushing. Starting on the top half of your mouth first, put the bristles of the brush along the gum-line at a 45 degree angle, covering two to three teeth at once. Then, brush the outer tooth surfaces. Use a sweeping motion, following the growth pattern of the teeth, brush several times on one set of teeth and then continue around the set of 2-3 teeth until you are done the top row. Repeat this process on the bottom outer teeth. When brushing the inner part of the teeth, once again start with the brush bristles at a 45 degree angle to the teeth and gum-line. Once again, brush in a similar motion to the outer surface. When you reach the front portion of the mouth, tilt your brush until it is vertical and brush so that the brush moves up and down several times. Repeat this motion on your inner bottom teeth. When you are done with this step, remember to brush the biting surface of your teeth with a gentle scrubbing action.
Now it is time to clean your tongue and your cheeks. Recently, dentists discovered that the tongue carried a lot of bacteria. By scraping the tongue with a tongue-scraper or the back of your toothbrush, you can clean this now.
Using tooth paste is important to help remove the build up of plaque on the teeth. Most tooth pastes are enriched with fluoride, which has been proven to help the tooth enamel resist tooth decay.
Flossing is an important part of dental health care. When you floss your teeth at least once a day, you radically reduce the amount of cavity-producing plaque on your teeth. You can purchase flossing products almost anywhere you buy dental care products. By taking good care of your teeth, you can be a healthier you.
