Dental hygiene practice is essential to your oral health as it helps you manage bacteria inside your mouth. At any given time, there are different kinds of bacteria living inside your mouths. Most of these harmful bacteria build up as plaque, causing tooth decay, cavities and gingivitis. If these dental issues are left untreated, it can worsen and lead to periodontal or gum disease.

As a result, it is important that you follow the best dental hygiene practices. This way, you will be able to efficiently control the amount of bacteria existing in your mouth. Keep reading to find out the proven dental hygiene tips you need to know

Oral Health: Dental Hygiene Practices You Should Know 

For good oral health, you must practise proper dental hygiene practices every single day. Below are some of the dental hygiene tips that will help you maintain good oral health.

Brushing Your Teeth Correctly

Quickly brushing your teeth isn’t enough to polish your teeth and remove all the leftover food particles. Although you should not brush it too hard to avoid damaging your tooth enamel there’s a proper technique you can follow. It goes like this:

• Hold your toothbrush vertically. With your brush at a 45-degree angle to your gums, start brushing. 
• Use short forth and backstrokes at the top of your teeth. Do this across both sides.
• Focus on the back teeth with several shorter strokes. The back of your front anterior teeth is where plaque builds up more often.
• Take your time to move the toothbrush gently in circular motions to wash away all the plaque. If you do not do this, the plaque would harden, and it may lead to severe plaque buildup and gingivitis. If this happens to you, we recommend speaking with a dentist near you. It is the best way to resolve this issue.

When Should You Brush Your Teeth?

As part of the best dental hygiene tips, every dentist recommends brushing your teeth thrice a day. However, this doesn’t mean that you should not brush your teeth at night. Most people neglect to brush their teeth before going to bed at night. However, it is not a good dental hygiene practice. Factually, the best tip for dental hygiene is to brush your teeth before sleeping at night. This way, you can get rid of the plaque that has accumulated throughout the day.

Understand the Proper Way To Floss

Just like brushing, it is best if you floss your teeth properly. Flossing is a great dental practice that removes the food particles stuck in your mouth. With flossing, you can reach between your teeth to remove food particles stuck in there. Generally, you can use a piece of floss of up to 18 inches in length. 

To prevent reinserting the bacteria you just removed, use a new area of floss every few teeth. Ensure that the floss is rubbing against your teeth in a forward or backward ‘C’ shape motion. Lastly, be extra careful when wrapping the floss around each tooth.

Rinse Your Mouth with a Mouthwash

Most people do not use mouthwash, although dentists recommend using it. The main reason why they neglect it is that they don’t know how it works. To give you an idea, here’s why mouthwash is top on the list of our best dental hygiene tips:

• It cleanses and polishes hard-to-brush areas in and around your gums.
• It reduces the amount of acid in your mouth.
• It remineralizes your teeth.
• It is a supplement tool that brings balance to the mouth.

Lessen Your Intake of Sugary and Acidic Food

Sugar can be converted into acid inside your mouth. Also, it can damage the enamel of your teeth. As a result, you should make a conscious effort to avoid taking acidic food. These acids are typically the root cause of cavities. Acidic coffee, teas, and fruits can also erode your tooth enamel. It is not harmful to eat acidic food. However, you should place limitations on your intake.

Eat Fruits and Vegetables Regularly

Instead of eating sugary and acidic food, you can eat fresh fruits and vegetables. These two contain more healthy fibre which are the best nutrients for your teeth. Also, eating harder to eat and chew foods is good for your teeth. 

Therefore, eating crunchy fruits and vegetables is a top dental hygiene tip that you should follow. Also, stop cutting down your food into tiny pieces, let your teeth and jaws do the work.

Drink Plenty of Clean Water

Aside from oral health, water remains the best fluid for your overall health. Furthermore, it holds a lot of benefits for oral health. Therefore, it is recommended that you drink fresh and clean water after every meal. Simple drinking of water after every meal can remove the harmful effects of acidic beverages and food in between brushes.

Final Thoughts

Aside from your everyday dental hygiene practices at home, visiting your dentist is also essential in taking care of your oral health. Even with the most responsible brushing and flossing habits, you still need to regularly meet your dentist. 

We are fully available to provide you with excellent dental services. You can call Thornhill Dental at 905-771-8100 for dental cleanings and checkups. Take better care of your mouth today!