1. Brush at least twice daily

    Brushing at least twice a day is the bedrock of good dental health. Brushing your teeth helps break up plaque, a sticky layer of matter that is home to bacteria. It accumulates on the teeth, including in parts of the mouth a toothbrush can’t reach. It is created when the food you eat cause the bacteria in your mouth to produce acids. Plaque also produces compounds that irritate the gums and can sometimes lead to gum disease. At Golden Smiles Dental we recommend brushing your teeth at least twice every day with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Use a brush which is of a small enough size to fit your mouth and allow you to reach all areas easily. Use soft short strokes, reaching the all surfaces of your teeth: the outer, inner, and chewing surfaces. You can also brush your tongue to help freshen your breath. Most dentists recommend to brush between three to four minutes, which is the average length of a song. Choose your favorite song to listen to in the morning and you’ll be sure to go the full length needed.

  2. Use a toothpaste that contains fluoride

    When brushing, use a toothpaste with fluoride in it. Fluoride is a mineral naturally present in foods and water. Fluoride makes the tooth more resistant to the plaque that builds up during the day, helping to prevent tooth decay. It can sometimes even reverse tooth decay! Fluoride is in most kinds of toothpaste, so using a brand with fluoride helps prevent tooth decay while you brush. When you next visit Golden Smiles Dental for a cleaning,you may also have fluoride applied directly to your teeth. Getting fluoride and calcium in your diet is another way to help keep your teeth healthy and cavity-free.

  3. Floss daily

    Flossing gets rid of plaque buildup in areas that brushing cannot reach. Namely, between teeth and under the gum-line. There are a many types of dental floss you can choose from. One, like a dental ribbon, is smoother and more comfortable than traditional floss. A dental ribbon is perfect if your gums ache or bleed when you floss. Flossing is the best way to fight gum disease. If left untreated, gum disease can become a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease among other conditions. Bacteria can also cause bad breath and flossing will improve the appearance of your smile. It is better to floss once a day and to do so slowly than many short sessions over the course of the day. Next time you’re at Golden Smiles Dental or at your dentists office, feel free to ask about the best flossing techniques. The dentists will be happy to demonstrate how to floss the proper way so you can be sure to keep your smile plaque free.

  4. Limit acidic and sugary drinks and food

    Acidic drinks, such as soft drinks, fruit juices, and coffee, will wear down your teeth. When you drink a sugary, or acidic drink, the bacteria in your mouth will interact with the sugar in the drink to create acid. This combined with the acid present in the drink create a double-whammy of acid. These are the two main effects soft drinks have on your teeth: The first is the erosion of the outermost layer of your teeth, called the tooth enamel. When it is damaged it reduces the surface hardness of the tooth. Soft drinks can also affect the next layer of your tooth, which is called the dentin. This damage caused by sugary and acidic drinks can create cavities, which are formed over time as bacteria and plaque build up in a pocket in the enamel of the tooth. You don’t have to completely stop drinking soft drinks. Use a straw to bypass the teeth, and brush soon after to help keep the worst effects at bay. Brushing regularly will help repair your teeth.

  5. Eat foods that protect tooth enamel

    There are a lot of foods that are both tasty and easy to make that help with keep up with your dental health. Consuming these foods instead of high-sugar foods is a great way to help your teeth and help maintain your daily health. Here are just some of them:
    1. Black and green tea contain a substance that helps disrupt the bacteria that live in your mouth. Drinking just a few cups a day can possibly help fight bad breath. Tea contains some compounds that control the bacteria’s creation of order creating substances.
    2. Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables create saliva. Saliva is nature’s natural cavity fighter. Saliva contains minerals like calcium and phosphate which help repair the enamel on your teeth. Dairy products, such as cheese, yogurt and milk, also contain calcium and phosphate that help restore your tooth enamel.

  6. Go to regular check ups

    At Golden Smiles Dental, your dentists is your number one ally in your journey to healthy oral and dental health. Regular check-ups are the best way to keep track of your dental health status and to assess what treatments are needed. You want to have at least two check ups per year, generally two months apart. At the appointment, the dentist will check on your overall oral health, then look for cavities. X-rays might be taken to detect cavities between teeth. They will also look for the buildup of plaque and tartar. Tartar is hardened plaque and cannot be removed by regular brushing. They will also examine your gums, using a special tool to measure the depth of spaces between your teeth and gums. Shallow spaces means healthy gums. Your teeth will also get a thorough cleaning at the visit. Specialized tools are used to clean the tartar that has built up. Next, they will polish your teeth to help remove any surface stains. Finally, your teeth will be flossed to make sure all areas of your teeth are cleaned.

  7. Only use your teeth for chewing food

    Teeth are very easy to chip, break, or damage a tooth when using incorrectly. Hard items will put more stress on your tooth enamel than the enamel can handle. Ice, in particular, is very damaging to tooth enamel. Its hardness and coldness will cause your enamel to expand as you chew. This will cause the enamel to develop tiny cracks. Smoking or chewing tobacco also disrupts your mouth’s immune response and will dry out your mouth. This exposes the roots of your teeth, which doesn’t have the hard enamel of the rest of the tooth. This makes them particularly susceptible to being damaged. Cavities and gum disease are just one common side effect of chewing and smoking tobacco.

  8. Don’t over-brush your teeth.

    It is possible to wear down your tooth enamel through over brushing. Vigorous brushing or brushing too many times a day can wear down the enamel on the teeth, as well as damage and push back the gums. Plaque is so soft that doesn’t need to be scrubbed off. It is so soft it could be removed with a gentle rag. Focus on being thorough in your brushing getting all surfaces of the teeth. Aggressive brushing offers no further benefit. Take a soft-bristled brush and go in slow, short strokes about the size of the tooth, several times in the same spot. Apply just enough pressure to feel the bristles against the gums. If you squish the bristles, you’re pushing too hard.
Follow these eight tips and you’ll be on your way to having fantastic dental health!  If you’d like a free dental examination, call Golden Smiles Dental in Rancho Cucamonga, CA to schedule an appointment.