Dental health

After a long day of classes, hustling up and down campus, the last you think about is the one thing you cannot do without, your mouth. Have you ever thought what you would do without your mouth? How would you talk, eat, or smile? When stress levels are high, dental health is one of those things shoved off our list of priorities by seemingly more important things. What is meant to be a good four minute brush turns into a two second mouthwash rinse. Did you know that the moist, warm conditions of the mouth are ideal for the growth and reproduction of bacteria?

3 steps to maintaining healthy teeth.

1. Brushing and flossing

Brush your teeth every day. Don’t scrub too hard, because that will result in the wearing away of your gums. Always remember to brush your teeth carefully, especially the crevices on the chewing surfaces of your teeth, where  food particles often get stuck. It is recommended that you floss your teeth at least once a day. Flossing helps to remove any residues caught in-between your teeth and therefore reduces the chances of tooth decay.

2. Healthy eating

• Eat whole grains instead of refined grains

• Eat dark green and orange vegetables

• Eat foods with less salt

• Eat Fish, Beans, Nuts and seeds

Did you know?

 Snacking on celery, carrots, or apples helps clear food debris away.

 Chewing gum can help eliminate food particles caught in-between the teeth after a meal, and also helps prevent the biulding up of plaque by stimulating saliva production.

3. Dental visits

One should visit the dentist at least twice a year. However it is recommended that smokers, diabetics and people with current gum disease or weak immune response to bacterial infection, should make more frequent visits to the dentist.

It is documented that Eighty percent of the U.S. population has some form of periodontal gum disease. So if you ever feel like dozing off without giving your teeth the good old brush, think again, because the effect of such behavior is not a reality you want to wake up to!

Citations

Oral health made easy http://www.simplestepsdental.com/SS/ihtSS/r.WSIHW000/st.31845/t.32529/pr.3.html

ADHA-http://www.adha.org/media/facts/oral_health_fast_facts.htm

Pictures-Google images

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=teeth&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&sa=1&q=fruit&aq=0s&oq=friut&aqi=g-s10&start=0