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Simple Ways To Prevent Tooth Decay

22nd November, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Tooth decay has been a prevalent dental problem among kids, but it also affects a majority of adults. If you go and ask any dentist, he would probably say that one of the top concerns people consult to him has something to do with tooth decay. To have tooth decay is to experience great pain, one that can truly change a person’s mood in an instant. You have probably experienced one and it is something you do not want to wish even on your enemy, should you have one. Dentists have been bombarded with the question, how can you prevent tooth decay? The answers, as always, are really quite simple.

For as long as we can remember, dentists like Dr. Jonathan Hartley, they have been recommending that we should brush our teeth regularly. This usually means at least two times in a day. However, they say that the more sensible thing to do is to brush our teeth after every meal. So if you eat three regular meals within 24 hours, then it means you should be brushing your teeth at least three times a day. Brushing is an essential step in proper dental care because it removes the scraps of food from our teeth and also kills the bacteria that might cause, not only tooth decay, but also other dental problems.

The truth is that if we do not regularly brush our pearly whites, we should consider ourselves already lucky if it is just tooth decay that we might get. Because there are a myriad of other dental disorders that can result to poor dental hygiene. There is of course gingivitis and gum diseases. And also bad breath, something none of us definitely want to get.

For these reasons, Dr. Jonathan Hartley has listed some of his suggestions on how we should go about with our daily oral and dental hygiene. When we follow these we can avoid getting tooth decay and other common dental problems.

Just to reiterate the importance of it, brushing our teeth is at the forefront of our battle against tooth decay and cavities. But it is not enough. We should also be flossing our teeth as this is more effective in removing the small bits and pieces of food that usually get stuck in between our teeth. Because if we just leave them where they are, they will eventually cause bacteria to build up faster and for our teeth to deteriorate.

Fluoride is a great toothpaste ingredient that helps fight off tooth decay. It also strengthens the tooth enamel, making it stronger and more resistant to decay. Always brush your teeth using a fluoride toothpaste.

A mineral that we are all very familiar and also helps make our teeth stronger is calcium. Therefore it is best that we eat foods that are high in calcium such dairy products, fish, and some vegetables especially broccoli.

However if there is something that we should avoid eating too much of it is carbohydrates and sugar. These usually stick onto the tooth enamel, in turn causing it to weaken and become more prone to cavities. That is why we should stay away from eating too much candies and chips.

Lastly, Dr. Jonathan Hartley recommends that we should still visit our dentist regularly. Because this is the best maintenance that we can give to our teeth as our dentist can properly guide us on how to maintain our teeth and mouth in the best healthy condition.