We hope that you are currently taking steps to care for and clean your teeth at home. These measures can have dramatically positive impacts on your smile, and help you maintain top oral health. If you are looking for some more information about how to discourage dental decay and infections, feel free to keep reading this article from our Orland Park dentists. You’ll get some valuable tips on how to fight oral health issues!
Understand the root cause
Before we talk about specific steps that you can take in your daily oral hygiene routine, it’s important to review how cavities form in the first place. Basically, cavities form when oral bacteria wear away and infect the different layers of a patient’s tooth. So a cavity begins in the outer-most layer—the dental enamel—and then moves inward toward the dental core.
In order to prevent this decay, you need to take control of the bacteria in your mouth. What does this mean?
1. Minimizing bacteria production in the first place
Oral bacteria love sugary and starchy substances. So try to limit the amount of sugars you consume, as this will give the bacteria in your mouth fewer chances to grow and multiply.
2. Clear away bacteria ASAP
Because it is impossible to totally eliminate bacteria production, we all need to do certain things each day in order to clear away newly formed bacteria. Brush at least twice a day and floss at least once a day (or as recommended by your dentist) in order to flush out bacteria before they calcify to your teeth.
3. Help your body help itself
Saliva is designed to naturally neutralize harmful bacteria. Drink plenty of water throughout the day in order to boost saliva production.
Using high quality professional and at-home dental care, you can take control of your smile! Our Orland Park dentist office is here to help you in any way possible—just give us a call!