How to Educate People to Take Care of Their Oral Health

Taking care of your teeth and gums is very important if you want to prevent oral health problems such as tooth decay, gingivitis (gum disease), receding gums, or even tooth loss. Brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day and flossing once a day are small investments to make if you want healthy teeth and gums, as well as fresh breath. If you neglect your oral health, you may end up having hundreds or thousands of dollars' worth of dental work: fillings, root canals, crowns, or even dentures. In the case of your teeth and gums, an ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure.

Things You'll Need

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Dental floss
• Mouthwash

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Instructions

Take Steps Toward Good Oral Health

• 1

  Find a good dentist and visit him twice a year for a teeth-cleaning procedure and overall oral health checkup. In between visits, if you have any tooth pain or other oral problem, make an appointment to have it checked. Tooth pain inevitably gets worse, and more expensive to fix. What may have been a simple filling can turn into a costly root canal and tooth replacement (crown).

• 2

  Take two minutes each morning and evening to brush your teeth; after lunch, too, if you really want that ounce of prevention. Use a manual or electric toothbrush, although dentists increasingly recommend electric because the bristles always brush the correct way: away from the gums. Brush down to avoid pushing the gum line up; this condition is known as receding gums and can cause sensitivity to hot and cold, exposure of the teeth's roots, and infection. The condition is exacerbated by bacteria, which exists naturally in the mouth but which can build up between the teeth and gums and form plaque. Plaque can be somewhat controlled by brushing and flossing, but those twice-yearly visits to the dentist are necessary to prevent buildup.

• 3

  Floss at least once a day to dislodge food particles and plaque that your toothbrush can't reach. Otherwise, bacteria will build up around the area, increasing bacterial growth, which in turn causes more plaque. Insert the floss between your teeth; gently pull the floss up to the gum line and into a U-shape forward, then back, to make sure you swipe the entire area around the roots of each tooth.

• 4

  Gargle with mouthwash to reduce bacteria, which is the cause of plaque. A benefit is that you also will have fresh breath.

• 5

  Reduce or limit the amount of sugar in your diet, especially those sweet soda pops. Studies have shown that soda drinkers are more prone to cavities because exposure to sugar promotes tooth decay and because soda promotes acid, which attacks the teeth and wears away at their enamel coating.