Easy Things You Can Do For Your Teeth

Proper oral care habits are not something that happen overnight. It is all about staying on solid routines and engaging in healthy habits day after day. But did you know there are several easy things you can do to benefit your teeth that only take a moment? Here are some of our best tips on easy things you can do for your teeth.

Set A Brushing Timer

For many people, two minutes of brushing can feel like an eternity. So much so, that they end up only brushing around a minute and thinking it is actually two. But there is an easy way to ensure you spend the right about of time brushing every day. Simply set a timer for two minutes and spend it brushing all the areas of your teeth. For best results, set the timer and then look away, because if you watch the seconds tick down, it’s only going to feel even longer! You can even make this a fun game with children and ensure they are brushing long enough as well.

Take Enough Calcium And Vitamin D

Your teeth are always in the process of losing minerals and then remineralizing to keep your enamel strong. If your body is running low on crucial minerals, then it only follows that they can’t come back as strong. Studies show that calcium and vitamin D is key to maintaining strong teeth, so you should always make it a point to keep your diet high in these minerals and vitamins. Calcium is needed in the teeth themselves, and vitamin D helps you absorb more calcium so you have all you need for your bones and teeth. So make sure to eat dairy high in these minerals or replace that intake with supplements or other calcium rich foods.

Don’t Chew On Anything That Isn’t Food

Have you ever seen someone try to open something difficult with their teeth? Well look away because it’s dangerous for your teeth and hard to watch! Or better yet, politely ask them not to do that, because it could harm their teeth! While it may seem convenient at times when you have nothing else on hand, never treat your teeth like they are tools. This is one of the most common ways patients injure their teeth, and you could be looking at some substantial treatment time in a worse-case scenario. Even if you’re not trying to open something, bad habits that cause habitual chewing are also risky. If you stick to just using your teeth to chew food, you’ll ensure your teeth stay healthy for years to come.

Eat More Fiber

Fiber has great dietary benefits, but that is not the only reason you should eat high fiber diets. Foods that high in fiber often require more chewing than other foods, and all that chewing really gets your saliva glands going. Saliva is your natural defense against harmful bacteria in your mouth, so releasing saliva while you eat is always a good thing! In addition, fibrous foods can even clean your teeth while you eat. As the fibers are broken up while you chew, they act as a natural toothbrush and remove food particles that bacteria feed upon around your teeth. So you’re getting two benefits in one!

Brush Your Tongue

Brushing is key to removing bacteria on your teeth, but did you know bacteria grows on your tongue as well? We don’t have to tell you, but the less harmful bacteria growing in your mouth, the better! Not brushing your tongue can give this bacteria free roam to grow, which will contribute to other conditions like bad breath. Plus you’re at a higher risk of that bacteria being spread around the rest of your mouth. So do your tongue a favor and brush it twice a day just like you do for your teeth. It’s easy and it’ll freshen up your breath, which is definitely a nice bonus.

Final Thoughts - Easy Things You Can Do For Your Teeth

We hope you’ve found these five easy things you can do for your teeth to be helpful. They only take a couple moments to do each day, and you' may see big benefits at your next checkup. Speaking of easy things to do, you can get your next checkup with Grace & Leedy Family Dentistry scheduled right now. Contact us today! We’d love to see your smiling face in for a fresh cleaning and checkup.