Maintaining good oral health isn’t hard, but common laziness makes it so. This is especially important for children. Parents’ knowledge is crucial in fighting against bad habits and tooth problems. In this guide, we will discuss the many techniques and tools you and your children will need to maintain your oral health and prevent diseases and bacteria from taking over your mouth. In this post, we’re going to show you how to get epic oral health levels for your child. It’s time for the first step

 

Make Sure You Have the Proper Equipment

Although nearly every single toothbrush brand tries to brand their product with different features, such as flexible, rubber shafts, tongue scrubbers, etc., the one thing that you should consider is whether you want a soft bristle or hard bristle brush. Sure, hard bristle brushes make it feel like you’re really scrubbing down on your teeth, they can seriously harm your teeth and damage your enamel.

This leads to another point of getting soft bristle brushes. They may not be nearly as satisfying, but they’re overall better for your mouth and won’t cause any irreversible damage to your teeth’s enamel.

 

Get Your Floss Out

Let’s get real, no one enjoys flossing, it’s inconvenient and annoying to do on a regular basis. No matter how much begging our dentists do, we always “forget to do it” and claim we floss regularly in the dentist chair. However, no matter what a hassle it may be, it’s important to do. In order to better fit it into your life, do some research and find which type of floss best suits you. Although you’ll probably go for the cheapest option, you’ll be surprised how much of a variety there is to choose from.

Since there’s no point in buying something you’re never going to use, before buying floss, ask yourself the following questions: What will make you enjoy flossing? What type of floss will want me to use it regularly? Hopefully, by answering these questions on your own, you can settle on a type of floss that you will actually use and impress your children’s dentist with.

 

Floss Using the Right Technique

Using the right technique flossing is incredibly important to your dental health, quite nearly as important as flossing twice a day. Once you have the floss wrapped around your two index fingers, pass the floss through your teeth, moving up and down, back and forth. This will help you wrap the floss around your entire tooth, especially in places where there’s more plaque buildup. The next time you’re thinking of skipping the floss, just remember that those who floss have a less likely chance of getting cavities.

 

Take Caution When Using Mouthwash

Although mouthwash is not generally recommended by dentists, it’s a great tool to help you get rid of bad breath, but it’s not effective for improving your overall oral health. In fact, mouthwash can actually damage your teeth if overused because it kills off good and bad bacteria in your mouth. After all, 99.9 percent of bacteria isn’t all bad! However, when it comes to choosing the right mouthwash, make sure you choose a fluoride one that will protect your mouth from cavities and strengthen your enamel.

 

 

Use the Right Technique in Oral Health

Though everyone knows that they should be brushing their teeth at least twice a day, many people do not know how they should be brushing. Brushing your teeth properly is just as important as brushing your teeth frequently. Here are a few tips to ensure you are using the proper technique.

 

• Brush in a Circular Motion

Do not brush in straight lines up and down. This will not remove all the plaque but simply move it around. Though you can clean the flat surfaces of your teeth like this, these are not the areas where problems develop. Typically dental issues occur in the spaces between your teeth and gums and the soft surfaces of your mouth. For this reason, you should be focusing more of your brushing energy on then. Brushing your teeth in a circular motion is a great way to target these areas. This gives the bristles of the brush the chance to get in between the gums and teeth and remove any particles and bacteria.

 

 

• Target Your Salivary Glands

Sometimes, you get a really bad taste in your mouth that seems to originate from the back of your mouth just before your throat. This bad taste is caused by your salivary glands. They are located at the top and bottom of your mouth close to the rear molars. Their job is to create and distribute saliva throughout your mouth.

When you brush your teeth, it is important to pay special attention to your salivary glands. You should clean them off just like you would with your teeth and the rest of your mouth. In fact, the majority of cavities develop close to these glands. This is why you should pay close attention to the glands and the surrounding teeth. If you do not, you can develop cavities and experience chronic bad breath. Be sure to clean your salivary glands every time you brush your teeth.

 

• Don’t Ignore Your Tongue

Most of the germs that cause bad breath reside on your tongue. Saliva flows freely throughout your mouth, cleaning bacteria off of your teeth and other mouth surfaces. This causes you to swallow, which frequently happens even if you are not aware of it. Because of this, a lot of negative bacteria and debris can land and accumulate on the back of your tongue. In turn, this is what causes bad breath most commonly.

Luckily, you can use your toothbrush to combat this bad breath. Every time you brush your teeth, you should brush your tongue too. Remember to pay closer attention to the back of your tongue as this is where most of the bacteria are. Doing this will greatly diminish your bad breath and boost your overall oral health.

 

 

Here’s the Kicker

These tips are essential for people of all ages. Parents’ knowledge is the best defense against future dental issues. Of course, the best way to take care of your oral health is by visiting Dr. Engel regularly.

• Which tip will you try first???
• Either way, let us know by leaving a comment below right now and continue the conversation.

 

KinderSmiles Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
400 Kinderkamack Rd.
Oradell, NJ 07649
Phone: 551-210-4012

 

The Definitive Guide to Oral Health [7 EPIC FACTS]