“This three-part article series provides 8 tips for great oral hygiene and healthcare.”
Regular brushing and flossing are the basic essentials for maintaining beautiful and healthy pearly whites for a lifetime, says the dentist in Pueblo Colorado. But there are a number of other habits you should teach yourself to adopt (and kick) in order to maintain a high standard of oral health and hygiene. In our previous article post, the first two tips provided by the dentist in Pueblo Colorado were (1) to book and keep regular appointments (twice a year) with the dentist and dental hygienist, and (2) to never neglect the oral healthcare of the youth or the elderly. In this article, the second installment of a three-part series, we shall be discussing three more tips from the dentist Pueblo CO for the lifelong preservation of beautiful pearly whites.
Tip # 3: Soda is a Treat, not a Thirst-Quencher
Everyone loves a fizzy sweet soda with their bucket of popcorn at the movies. And enjoyed this way once a week, there’s not much wrong with it. But people treat soda as their main source of hydration, says the dentist in Pueblo Colorado. Whenever they’re thirsty, they buy a can of pop! There are two huge problems with this. Soda is full of sugar and every time you knock back a can, you’re giving your teeth a sugar bath. Bacteria thrive on this sugar and their numbers in your mouth subsequently sky-rocket, leaving you more vulnerable to cavities and decay, explains the dentist in Pueblo Colorado.
The second problem is that soda contains citrus and phosphoric acid, which softens the enamel of your teeth, making it more vulnerable to erosion and the formation of cavities. You must train yourself to regard soda, fruit juices and energy drinks as treats and not thirst-quenchers. Teach yourself to enjoy water and you will enjoy whole body health benefits, says the dentist in Pueblo Colorado.
Tip # 4: Cut Sugar Consumption Wherever You Can
You thought you had a sweet tooth… well the millions of micro-organisms crawling around in your mouth enjoy sugar more than you do. Our mouths are naturally teeming with bacteria, explains the dentist in Pueblo Colorado. They thrive on the sugar left behind by sweet snacks, foods and drinks. Their increased activity results in an increase in waste production (because everything that eats has to poop!) This waste is extremely acidic and it eats away at dental enamel, making it softer and more vulnerable to cavities, says the dentist in Pueblo Colorado. What can you do? Well, cut down on the amount of sugar you consume and the frequency with which you consume it. If you like drinking a lot of coffee and/or tea, then it’s time you trained yourself to enjoy it without sugar. Otherwise, every time you have a cup, your teeth are going to suffer.
Tip # 5: Kick the Habit for Good
Oh, you’ve heard this one before, but not from the dentist in Pueblo Colorado. Quit smoking. The tar and nicotine in cigarettes not only have an unsightly staining effect upon your pearly whites – turning them a sexy shade of yellow and brown – but they also damage and inflame the soft tissues in the mouth. Chronic exposure to cigarette and cigar smoking:
*Retards saliva production in the mouth, leaving your teeth more vulnerable to decay
*Slows blood circulation, prolonging healing
*Gives you chronic bad breath
*Increases your risk of periodontal (gum) disease
*Greatly increases your risk of developing oral cancer
For all these reasons and for your general health, it’s time to kick the habit, urges the dentist in Pueblo Colorado.
Advice from the Dentist in Pueblo CO: Stay Tuned
For more tips from the dentist in Pueblo Colorado on how to maintain lifelong beautiful and healthy pearly whites, stay tuned for the final installment of this three-part article series.