Control Your Oral Health Future With These Handy Tips
Useful tips and tricks to help you value your dental health
Here at Abbey Road Dental and across the entire dental service in the UK, it’s been such a shock to see how quickly essential services can be shut down. Although we are back up and running now to a large degree at our St John’s Wood clinic, we certainly don’t take our reopening for granted.
For that reason, we know that it is more important than ever to promote preventative habits when it comes to dental care and how you care for your teeth at home is at the heart of your oral health. Although emergencies will always come up, the better you can care for your teeth at home, the less likely you are to find there is a problem that needs addressing.
Abbey Road Dental is always available for advice, checkups and treatment whilst we are open but should an unexpected circumstance close us again, we want you to be in the best possible position to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
Things You Can’t Control
There are certain aspects of your dental health you cannot control. Knowing what they are is actually really helpful when it comes to the prevention of issues as it helps awareness of particular problems. You can then adjust your behaviour accordingly and protect your smile as much as possible. Here are some ‘out of your control’ factors that affect oral health:
- Medicine you are taking
- Certain treatments like radiotherapy
- Pregnancy
- Certain health conditions
- Genes
It is a great idea to seek advice from your Abbey Road dentist if you do have a change in health status as that will enable your treatment plan to be adjusted accordingly. It will also enable your dentist to give you tailor-made advice in regards to your oral health so you know how to care for it most appropriately.
Things You Can Control
There are so many factors you can be in control of when it comes to your dental health, some of which you may well have never even thought of. Ensuring healthy habits with your teeth boosts your oral health and in some circumstances, it can boost your general health too. Let’s take a look at some of the controllable factors around oral health that you can maintain to help prevent issues:
Gum Disease
Although some people are predisposed to gum disease, the fact remains that the condition is largely avoidable. With the right brushing techniques and regular NW8 hygienist visits, gum disease can be avoided or reversed in its early stages.
Even once established, it can be effectively managed. Brushing at an angle to ensure plaque is removed from below the gum line, flossing properly and having regular cleans will help keep gum disease at bay. Seeking advice from Abbey Road Dental if you have tender or bleeding gums is also important, just in case you need some extra advice and treatment.
Your Brushing Routine
Brushing twice everyday for two minutes each time using the right toothpaste, brush, and any additional tools, is a great foundation for healthy, happy teeth and gums. It may sound simple, but it really is enough to help keep the teeth and gums clean, avoiding decay and plaque buildup that causes further problems requiring treatment.
Flossing is also a really good idea and should be done properly once a day. If you need advice on brushing and flossing techniques your St John’s Wood hygienist can provide you with lots of expert guidance.
What You Eat
What you eat has a huge impact on your oral health. You’ve heard it all before – fizzy pop, sugary treats, stodgy white carbs and a lack of fruit and vegetables is bad for your health. The thing is, that fact will never change and when it comes to your oral health, it all stands the same.
Eating and drinking in a healthy way boosts your overall health, and protects your teeth from sugar and acid attacks, plaque and staining.
Bad Habits
Smoking and drinking in excess are extremely bad habits for your overall health and your oral health. You may find it difficult to cut down on, or quit these habits, but they are within your control and it is an extremely worthy priority to change your relationship with them.
You can find more information on quitting smoking at the NHS website. If you drink to excess it is important to seek advice from your GP as it may be you have to reduce your alcohol intake with monitoring and help.
Exercise
Exercise has a useful positive impact on your oral health. It boosts the blood flow to your gums and oral tissues, and helps to protect your overall health, which contributes to your oral health. Being diabetic as a result of obesity can also increase your risk of getting gum disease, which is another good reason to target a healthy weight for your height and age.
Stress
Stress and worry actually has a huge impact on your oral health. It can cause grinding (bruxism) which wears the teeth down. It can also cause you to put less effort into brushing, cause you to comfort eat or not eat enough, and cause you to take up bad habits like smoking.
By controlling your stress levels with meditation, yoga and lifestyle changes, you are actively contributing to your own happiness, and a healthier smile. Controlling these aspects of your oral health means you have a much better chance of preventing expensive, painful and sometimes traumatic dental problems in the future.
Whilst we are able, Abbey Road Dental is always pleased to provide the support and guidance you need to get your oral health habits up to scratch. Whilst we offer a range of extensive cosmetic, general and restorative dental treatments, preventative care and guidance is at the heart of what we do.
If you have any enquiries, please do get in touch. We’re here to help you in any way we can, for healthy, happy smiles now, and moving forward into the future!
