Most of the time, people do not notice that something is wrong with their teeth until they visit the dentist. Unfortunately, at that point in time, it may already necessitate serious solutions like extractions or root canals. The key to making sure this doesn’t happen is to keep your teeth in great shape. Here’s a few tips on how to do this.

• Brush Your Teeth. The most basic of all tips to keep your teeth pristine. However, a lot of people still forget to do this. You don’t need to brush after every meal; two times a day is enough. Do a thorough job and don’t rush. Additionally, use a brush that has a small head so you can reach the back parts of your mouth.

• Have a Proper Diet. The sort of food you eat determines how strong your teeth are and what sort of material gets exposed to it. Calcium-rich foods will reinforce them, while vitamin C is needed to keep your gums healthy. Try to avoid too much sugar, like those in soft drinks or candies; they become acids in the mouth and damage your teeth.

• Use a Mouthwash. Brushing often isn’t enough. Rinse out your mouth with a decent anti-bacterial mouthwash. This helps stop bad breath and removes the presence of germs.

Florida has no shortage of various mouth-watering food to offer. Everything from conch fritters to stone crabs and alligator tail can be tasted at the Sunshine State. However, enjoying these delicacies is difficult if your teeth are damaged or you’re missing a tooth. Fortunately, remembering these three simple steps will help in taking good care of your teeth:

1. Floss at least once a day. A 2008 study shows that barely half of Americans floss daily and about 10% never do. While you may brush your teeth regularly, doing so only cleans the surface. The spaces between teeth can still harbor bits of food and even worse, plaque, a sticky and naturally occurring film that contains bacteria. Fortunately, plaque takes 24 hours to form, so flossing once a day is more than enough to stop its development.
2. Visit your dentist at least twice a year. As with most health problems, prevention is better than cure. Visiting your dentist twice a year allows her to catch problems before they lead to serious ones like gingivitis or tooth loss. She’ll also do an oral prophylaxis—more commonly known as cleanings—to remove plaque build-up on your teeth.
3. Brush your teeth three times a day. When plaque comes in contact with the sugars and starches in the food you eat, an acid is produced that attacks the tooth’s enamel and promotes tooth decay. Brushing wipes the plaque off your teeth so they can remain healthy.

Surprisingly, a large percentage of people fear going to the dentist. It has been found out that oftentimes, patients who need to have their teeth cleaned, fixed, or replaced opt not to visit their dentists due to this fear. Instead, they allow their teeth to rot, and let damages such as cavities and tooth decay simply worsen over time.

People who fear going to the dentist largely attribute it to bad past experiences in the dentist's office, such as a dental visit during childhood that reminds patient of feeling pain during the clinical procedure. Others attribute it to a negative feeling they've associated with dentists from a young age because of their parents who also fear dental visits. Some, meanwhile, feel intense embarrassment over their dental health, or have other issues that cause the mere idea of going to the dentist to instill a feeling of anxiety and stress.

Dentists understand this fear and have developed ways to help abate it, such as putting patients under oral conscious sedation. Typically administered through two different methods, inhalation and intravenous sedation, this allows them to be in a state of calm and relaxation while the dental procedure is being performed. Dentists also try to deal with their patients in a gentle, friendly manner in order to establish feelings of familiarity and trust into their professional relationship. It is highly encouraged that patients find a dentist they are comfortable with and can openly communicate with to reduce their fears associated with dental visits.

Do you grind your teeth often whenever you feel anxious or stressed out? Many dentists suggest that while this type of reaction, known as bruxism, isn’t always harmful but can eventually cause tooth damage when done regularly. What makes it worse is that some people don’t even know they do it because it happens when they sleep.

Effects of Bruxism

When you keep grinding your teeth, the constant and repetitive contact can build up pressure which eventually fractures or loosens some of your teeth, or even worse, tear off an already loose tooth. Jaw problems can also arise because of this, such as effecting or aggravating TMD/TMJ disorders and even hearing loss.

How to Identify Bruxism During Sleep

When you grind your teeth subconsciously all night, you won’t really know about it the next morning, unless you wake up with an inexplicable headache or a sore jaw. When this sensation begins to occur regularly, call your dentist immediately and schedule a checkup, so you will know for sure whether or not you have bruxism.

Prevention

Your dentist can recommend a mouth guard for you to wear when you sleep, so as to prevent teeth grinding. You might also want to cut down on food and drinks heavy in caffeine and/or alcohol, especially right before bedtime as these might increase your chances of inadvertently grinding your teeth as you sleep. Avoid chewing on anything that isn’t food (even chewing gum).

Everyone knows the basics when it comes to good oral care: brushing your teeth twice a day, daily flossing and regular visits to the dentist. However, not everyone is aware that the food they consume greatly affects their oral health. It is recommended that people avoid food that are rich in sugar and acid, and are sticky. However, the number one enemy of people when it comes to their oral health are sour and chewy candies.

If these types of food are “tooth killers”, then what types of food should people eat for their oral health?

Cheese

Cheese contains low sugar and acid, and is high in calcium. It also contains casein, which is a type of protein that is normally found in milk that helps in fortifying the tooth's surface. Dentists, in fact, prescribe remineralizing pastes that are made from casein to those who are more prone to cavities.

Firm or Crunchy Fruits and Vegetables

These foods like celery contain high water contents that help in stimulating saliva, which protects the teeth against decay, and dilutes the effects of sugar to the teeth. Also, it is suggested to eat raw vegetables that are fibrous because chewing them will require a lot of saliva.

Water

Water is one of the most important factors when it comes to oral health. It is very important in tooth and gum health especially because it is a component of saliva. Water is used to rinse sugary food and drinks, which helps prevent tooth decay.