How
can you tell if you're hitting the mark when it comes to good oral
care? "Generally, your teeth and gums should not bleed, be painful, or
feel rough or sharp to your tongue," says Pam Atherton, RDH, a dental
hygienist for Dr. John Carlile, DDS in Skaneateles, NY. "Your breath
should be fresh for at least a couple of hours after brushing in the
morning and after having eaten breakfast." One of the easiest ways to
prevent gum disease is to clean your teeth properly, so try these tricks
for a healthier mouth.
1. Rinse your mouth.
If
you use mouthwash twice a day, you'll slash your risk of gum disease by
60 percent, says Marjorie Jeffcoat, DMD, Professor of Periodontology at
the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in
Philadelphia. Ideally you should aim to rinse for about 30 seconds with a
mouthwash that has microbial protection to fight plaque and gingivitis,
such as Listerine®.
2. Floss first.
You
should floss before you brush your teeth, rather than after, says
Jeffcoat. "That way you'll be able to brush away any food that was stuck
between your teeth to prevent bacteria from growing." If you find
dental floss hard to hold onto, Atherton suggests trying floss picks,
such as Plackers® dental flossers, instead.
3. Get the right toothbrush.
Soft
or extra soft bristles are best. "Gum tissue can't make a callous;
therefore, when a person uses a medium or hard-bristled toothbrush, it
literally scratches the tissue away over time, exposes the root surface
underneath and leads to possible bone loss," says Atherton.
4. Brush smart.
To
really clean your teeth, aim to brush them for a full two minutes.
"Make sure you brush both your tongue and cheeks as well as the chewing
surfaces to improve the removal of harmful bacteria in the crevices,"
says Atherton. To get your kids to brush the full two minutes, sing
"Happy Birthday To You" or the "Alphabet Song" twice through at a normal
speed for each half of your mouth. And be sure to replace your
toothbrush about every three months.
5 Ways Poor Dental Care Makes You Sick
Even if you brush your teeth daily, you may still have dangerous
bacteria growing inside your mouth. Not only could that lead to
periodontitis (an advanced form of gum disease that comes with symptoms
such as bleeding when you brush and gum pain), but studies also find a
link between poor oral hygiene and major health issues. Here are some
ways that missing the mark on oral care could harm your heath.
1. It may hurt your heart.
People
with gum disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary
artery disease compared to those don't have periodontitis. Researchers
aren't exactly sure of why this might be, but one theory is that harmful
bacteria from your mouth enters your blood stream and attaches to fatty
plaques in your heart's blood vessels, leading to inflammation and
upping your risk of clots that can trigger heart attacks.
2. Your memory may suffer.
Some
research suggests there may be a tie between poor oral health and an
increased risk of dementia. One study that followed 118 nuns between the
ages of 75 and 98 found that those with the fewest teeth were most
likely to suffer dementia. Experts think oral bacteria may spread to the
brain through cranial nerves that connect to the jaw or through the
bloodstream, and may contribute to the type of plaque that's been linked
to Alzheimer's.
3. It might worsen your body's control of blood sugar.
People
with diabetes are more likely to have periodontal disease than those
without diabetes. While this may be because diabetics are more
susceptible to infections, there's also been research that finds gum
disease could make it harder to control your blood sugar, and that
treating it helps improve diabetes symptoms.
4. It may affect your breathing.
Gum
disease may increase your risk of getting respiratory infections, such
as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia, according
to the
Journal of Periodontology. The infections might be
caused when bacteria from the mouth are inhaled into your lungs,
possibly causing your airways to become inflamed.
5. It could make it harder for you to have a baby.
Women
of childbearing age with gum disease took an average of just over seven
months to become pregnant – two months longer than the average of five
months that it took women without gum disease to conceive, discovered
researchers in Western Australia. Other research finds that pregnant
women with gum disease might have higher odds of miscarriage.
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