This two-part article series provides a check-list of good habits to develop and bad habits to avoid if you want to keep your complete set of original teeth for life.
One of the most important physical assets – if not THE most important – is your smile. And what makes a smile beautiful are healthy teeth and gums. In this two-part article series the dental implant dentist will be exploring the top 20 habits to ditch or adopt in your lifelong battle against the oral bacteria that lead to tooth decay and loss.
1. Brush your teeth for two minutes, at least twice a day. Dedicate 30 seconds per quadrant of the mouth and you’ll help minimize the production of plaque that leads to decay, tooth loss and the subsequent need for dental implants.
2. Floss your teeth before you go to bed at night. Flossing is an integral part of a home oral hygiene routine. Preventing tooth loss and the ultimate need for dental implants therefore requires you to floss at least once a day.
3. See the dentist and hygienist twice a year for a check-up and professional cleaning. Preventative healthcare is the very best approach to keeping your original adult pearly whites beautiful and healthy, advises the dental implant dentist.
4. Don’t use your teeth as tools to force open containers or tear packaging. Cracks, chips and fractures in your teeth are caused by this kind of abuse. These cracks render your teeth far more vulnerable to bacteria, tooth decay, tooth loss and the need for replacement with dental implants.
5. Don’t chew ice. Biting down hard on ice can quite easily damage your dental enamel, leading to its hastened erosion or chipping. Only use your teeth for processing food.
6. Don’t get your tongue or lips pierced. These stainless steel accessories tap against the back of the teeth, causing scratches, chips and cracks in the enamel. This increases your risk of decay, tooth loss and the need for dental implants. Most people get piercings to make a statement, which is generally short-lived. There are also vital nerves or other structures that can easily be damaged by piercings.
7. Don’t play rough sports without a mouth guard. Protect your teeth against accidental trauma. An elbow to the face can easily knock out your front teeth, which may see you requiring dental implant surgery!
8. Don’t give your children bedtime bottles. Research has linked this and the use of ‘sippy cups’ with an increased risk of tooth decay in young children. Don’t feed your tot just before bedtime, says the dental implant dentist.
9. Tooth-grinder? Have a mouth guard fitted and wear it to bed every night. Bruxism can grind your dental enamel right down to the softer and more vulnerable underlying dentin. If a root canal can’t save a damaged tooth, then you will be facing the need for teeth replacement with dental implants.
10. Stay away from gummy, chewy candies and toffee. These sugar-rich candies stick into the cracks and crevasses of your teeth, feeding colonies of bacteria for longer. This leads to increased plaque production in the mouth and a greater risk of decay.
11. Limit your intake of sugar-packed sodas, fruit juices and energy drinks. Sugar fuels bacterial growth. The more you eat or drink, the faster plaque (soft deposits of bacteria) accumulates in your mouth. These bacteria cause dental caries or cavities in your teeth and the plaque hardens to form tartar, which accelerates periodontal (gum) disease. Tooth loss is partly a consequence of a diet that is high in sugar and carbohydrates, says the dental implants dentist.
Needing Dental Implants: Stay Tuned
To read about the remaining 9 habits to ditch or adopt, stay tuned for the second half of this two-part series on avoiding tooth loss and the need for dental implants.