Top 5 Exercises for Maintaining Great Dental Health

Your teeth need to last you for life. While a lifetime of use can weaken teeth somewhat, they are designed to remain strong throughout your life.

Maintaining your dental health is imperative to keeping both your teeth and gums healthy. Taking the best possible care of your teeth can help you keep your smile strong and bright for many years to come.

But what do you need to do to keep your teeth and gums healthy? Here are the top five exercises you can do to maintain great dental health throughout your life according to your Asheville dentist!

Don’t Compromise on Oral Hygiene

Keeping your teeth clean helps prevent plaque and bacteria from harming your tooth enamel. Brushing twice a day—once in the morning before eating breakfast and once before bed—helps regularly remove plaque that naturally accumulates in the oral cavity.

If you can make the investment, research shows electric toothbrushes are better than manual when it comes to removing plaque. Whether you use a manual or electric brush, always choose a toothbrush head with soft bristles to prevent unnecessary damage to your tooth enamel.

Flossing once daily is also essential to getting in-between teeth to keep them clean. These are places where your toothbrush can’t reach, such as the sides of teeth that touch another tooth. No matter what type of floss you use, just be sure to use it daily for best results. Even the best Asheville dentist can’t fully prevent oral disease without your daily cooperation with oral care!

Eat a Healthy Diet

You are what you eat! Nutrition makes a bigger impact on your oral health than many people realize. A diet high in sugar can weaken tooth enamel, leading to tooth sensitivity, cavities, and even discolored teeth. By consuming a diet high in the nutrients our teeth and gums need to stay healthy, you can help protect your smile instead of hurting it.

Some essential nutrients for teeth and gums include:

• Vitamin C for gum health
• Vitamin D for both teeth and gum health
• Phosphorus, a mineral that supports calcium absorption
• Calcium to keep teeth strong
• Vitamin A to support saliva production

Many of these nutrients can be consumed as part of your regular diet, especially if you include plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as lean protein. Dairy is an excellent source of calcium, but if you follow a mostly plant-based diet, you can still find high amounts of calcium in dark leafy greens, fortified plant-based milk, tofu, and even dried fruit.

Remember Water Is Your Friend

It’s hard to understate the importance of water for your smile. Water works in a few key ways to help prevent damage to your teeth.

• Water acts as a buffer between the acids and bacteria of the foods and drinks you consume and your tooth enamel. As such, as it can prevent these acids and bacteria from damaging your teeth.
• Water helps replenish saliva in the oral cavity, which also acts as a buffer, but it also contains minerals such as phosphorus and calcium to remineralize teeth and keep them strong.
• Water helps fight dry mouth, which can increase your risk for tooth decay and gum disease, especially if the condition is chronic.

If you consume beverages that can stain your teeth, such as wine or coffee, consuming water can help prevent some of the discoloration that comes with these practices. If your teeth are stained and impacting your self-confidence, you can always follow up with a cosmetic dentist in Asheville for a teeth whitening!

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day, but especially when eating meals or when consuming sugar, can help you protect your teeth. While others beverages such as soda, alcohol, and fruit juice don’t have to be completely off-limits, these drinks can be very damaging to teeth. Sipping water with them can help reduce tooth enamel damage.

Be Proactive About Your Smile

If you notice an issue with your smile, don’t wait to get to the root of the problem. Any issue with your teeth or gums has the potential to lead to greater damage down the road. Since tooth enamel can’t be replaced, damage can be irreversible if left unchecked.

Common symptoms that could mean you need to see your Asheville dentist include:

• Sensitive teeth
• An aching jaw
• Sudden or severe tooth pain
• An injury such as a broken tooth
• Unexplained discoloration of one or more teeth
• Bleeding or tender gums

By being proactive about these issues and getting them addressed as soon as possible, you can help protect your teeth and prevent future problems that could lead to costly damage.

Whether you need a cavity filled, a root canal, or a fluoride treatment for sensitive teeth, the best Asheville dentist can help you understand what’s causing the problem and how you can fix it.

Visit Your Dentist

Your Asheville dentist can detect many issues with your smile before they have a chance to become a full-blown problem. Regular visits with your dentist can help you protect your teeth and avoid many common problems, including gum disease and tooth decay.

If you have a concern about your smile that’s purely aesthetic, a cosmetic dentist in Asheville can help. Your dentist can review your concerns with you and discuss your options for improving your smile, whether you’re interested in a professional teeth whitening or dental veneers.

The American Dental Association recommends visiting your dentist every six months, but some people may need to come in more often depending on their unique oral health. For example, if you have a family history of gum disease or are susceptible to tooth decay, your dentist may suggest you come in more often to ensure the health of your smile.

How Healthy Is Your Smile?

The best Asheville dentist isn’t a substitute for your at-home oral care, but by keeping your regular checkups, you can maintain great dental health for life.

You can take this a step further by eating a healthy diet and being proactive about any issues that may come up between visits.

And if you’re looking for a cosmetic dentist in Asheville, you can still get the smile of your dreams and maintain your dental health. In fact, people who get cosmetic dentistry often are more motivated to care for their smiles in the long run!

Contact us at Saunders DDS today to learn more about our services or schedule a checkup with us! Call us at (828) 277-6060 or submit our contact form to request an appointment time.