How to Care for Adult's Teeth
As an adult, you've got a million things on your mind at all times. Between kids, the job, the house, car, errands, baseball games, ballet recitals, and everything else you've got going on, dental care may be the last thing you think about. Sure, you take those couple minutes in the morning and again at night to brush and maybe even floss, but did you ever stop to ask yourself some common dental questions? Like, am I brushing correctly? Am I flossing enough? What's the best toothbrush to use? Is one brushing technique better than another? If you're not sure about the answers to these questions, follow some of these tips concerning routine dental care for adults.
Diet
One of the most important components of any healthy dental care routine is proper nutrition. However, this aspect of a good oral hygiene routine is often overlooked in adulthood. Too often busy adults eat fast food on the run, snack throughout the day at work, and end up without the necessary equipment or a proper place to brush their teeth. This is one of the reasons it's vital for adults to curb poor nutrition and opt for eating healthy fruits and vegetables instead. Limit your intake of sugary, starchy, processed foods, especially when you know you won't be able to brush and/or floss properly. Additionally, it's a good idea for those who pack their lunches to add a few raw, crunchy vegetables in every day. Raw vegetables such as carrots and celery aid in cleaning teeth. They also help to keep salivary glands happy, which helps to create much-needed saliva in the mouth to halt bacteria buildup by removing plaque. And, of course, the bonus is that they're good for the body as well, providing optimum nutrition.
Routine care
It's simply impossible to have clean, healthy teeth without brushing and flossing. Sure, you've heard it before, but proper oral hygiene is so important, it's worth mentioning again. Additionally, it's important to make sure you're brushing thoroughly every time you brush your teeth. Be sure to take enough time each time you brush in order to get every tooth, and include areas in back of your mouth. It's also helpful to brush your tongue to remove bacteria. Choose a toothbrush that contains soft bristles so as not to harm gums. When brushing, hold the toothbrush at an angle that aims bristles to the areas of your mouth where your teeth meet your gums. Brush in a back-and-forth motion for ideal cleaning. Finally, if you don't already do it, you should begin flossing your teeth regularly. Flossing isn't hard to do, and once you start, it's actually addictive but in a good way! Flossing pulls food particles out from between teeth that brushing alone can't get. If regular floss isn't for you, try floss picks, floss sticks, or one of the many other floss products on the market today that make flossing easier. Floss at least once a day, either before or after brushing.
Dental checkups
No one should skip this step. Unfortunately, many adults, even those who take their kids to the dentist regularly, forego dental checkups for themselves. It's just as important for adults to schedule routine dental visits at least once a year, especially as many adults don't eat a proper diet or take up habits that can negatively affect teeth such as smoking or drinking.
If you're a user of any tobacco products, it's vital that you see your dentist at least once per year in order to detect anything in your mouth that could be precancerous changes. Users of tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, dip, snuff, or any other such product, are up to 50 times more likely to develop oral cancer, making routine dental visits crucial in early detection. If you note any of the following symptoms, see your dentist as soon as possible:
Ø Red, white, or mottled red-and-white patches in the mouth;
Ø Soreness in the throat, especially in the back;
Ø Changes of the voice or hoarseness;
Ø Significant weight loss without trying;
Ø Ear pain;
Ø Difficulty chewing or swallowing;
Ø Difficulty moving the jaw;
Ø Thick tongue, or difficulty moving the tongue;
Ø Difficulty speaking;
Ø Mouth bleeding that seems to happen for no reason;
Ø A feeling that something is stuck in the back of your throat;
Ø Lumps, crusty spots, or thickening of gums, lips, or inside of the mouth;
Ø Chronic or frequent sore throats;
Ø Changes in denture alignment.
If you don't follow proper routine dental care now, you're likely to regret it later. Adults have specific needs when it comes to the right way to brush and floss, the best techniques to use, and the proper equipment to use. If, as an adult you don't follow these simple steps for good routine dental care every day, you may be sorry by the time you reach your golden years.
Diet
One of the most important components of any healthy dental care routine is proper nutrition. However, this aspect of a good oral hygiene routine is often overlooked in adulthood. Too often busy adults eat fast food on the run, snack throughout the day at work, and end up without the necessary equipment or a proper place to brush their teeth. This is one of the reasons it's vital for adults to curb poor nutrition and opt for eating healthy fruits and vegetables instead. Limit your intake of sugary, starchy, processed foods, especially when you know you won't be able to brush and/or floss properly. Additionally, it's a good idea for those who pack their lunches to add a few raw, crunchy vegetables in every day. Raw vegetables such as carrots and celery aid in cleaning teeth. They also help to keep salivary glands happy, which helps to create much-needed saliva in the mouth to halt bacteria buildup by removing plaque. And, of course, the bonus is that they're good for the body as well, providing optimum nutrition.
Routine care
It's simply impossible to have clean, healthy teeth without brushing and flossing. Sure, you've heard it before, but proper oral hygiene is so important, it's worth mentioning again. Additionally, it's important to make sure you're brushing thoroughly every time you brush your teeth. Be sure to take enough time each time you brush in order to get every tooth, and include areas in back of your mouth. It's also helpful to brush your tongue to remove bacteria. Choose a toothbrush that contains soft bristles so as not to harm gums. When brushing, hold the toothbrush at an angle that aims bristles to the areas of your mouth where your teeth meet your gums. Brush in a back-and-forth motion for ideal cleaning. Finally, if you don't already do it, you should begin flossing your teeth regularly. Flossing isn't hard to do, and once you start, it's actually addictive but in a good way! Flossing pulls food particles out from between teeth that brushing alone can't get. If regular floss isn't for you, try floss picks, floss sticks, or one of the many other floss products on the market today that make flossing easier. Floss at least once a day, either before or after brushing.
Dental checkups
No one should skip this step. Unfortunately, many adults, even those who take their kids to the dentist regularly, forego dental checkups for themselves. It's just as important for adults to schedule routine dental visits at least once a year, especially as many adults don't eat a proper diet or take up habits that can negatively affect teeth such as smoking or drinking.
If you're a user of any tobacco products, it's vital that you see your dentist at least once per year in order to detect anything in your mouth that could be precancerous changes. Users of tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, dip, snuff, or any other such product, are up to 50 times more likely to develop oral cancer, making routine dental visits crucial in early detection. If you note any of the following symptoms, see your dentist as soon as possible:
Ø Red, white, or mottled red-and-white patches in the mouth;
Ø Soreness in the throat, especially in the back;
Ø Changes of the voice or hoarseness;
Ø Significant weight loss without trying;
Ø Ear pain;
Ø Difficulty chewing or swallowing;
Ø Difficulty moving the jaw;
Ø Thick tongue, or difficulty moving the tongue;
Ø Difficulty speaking;
Ø Mouth bleeding that seems to happen for no reason;
Ø A feeling that something is stuck in the back of your throat;
Ø Lumps, crusty spots, or thickening of gums, lips, or inside of the mouth;
Ø Chronic or frequent sore throats;
Ø Changes in denture alignment.
If you don't follow proper routine dental care now, you're likely to regret it later. Adults have specific needs when it comes to the right way to brush and floss, the best techniques to use, and the proper equipment to use. If, as an adult you don't follow these simple steps for good routine dental care every day, you may be sorry by the time you reach your golden years.