5 Healthy Habits For Your Teeth

A confident smile is always within reach—and it starts with good oral hygiene. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can prevent common dental issues from developing and ensure your teeth’s long-term beauty. If you keep up with healthy dental habits on a daily basis, you’ll have even more to smile about.

At Exquisite Dentistry, we don’t simply want to help you when you visit our office. It’s our desire to help you build healthy oral care habits that benefit your overall health. A beautiful smile isn’t just good for your health, it’ll also give a boost to your confidence. Dr. Alexie Aguil has been assisting patients to achieve their best smiles at his West Hollywood practice since 2006. Here are some of his suggestions to build healthy habits for your teeth.

Build Good Brushing Habits

We all know we should brush our teeth, but are you brushing your teeth properly? Believe it or not, we brush our teeth so much, that it’s easy to allow bad habits to slip into our routine without even realizing it. Here are a few reminders of healthy habits for brushing teeth:

• The right technique: When you’re brushing, you need to make sure you have the best brush and brushing technique. We recommend Philips Sonicare electric brushes because they are the most effective tool to keep your mouth and teeth clean. Designed to work in your mouth without too much effort, you just need to place the toothbrush bristles against the teeth at a slight angle toward the gumline.Turn the brush on and apply a light pressure to maximize the effectiveness and let the Sonicare do the brushing for you. Move the brush head slowly across the teeth in a back and forth motion, so the longer bristles reach between your teeth. It’s best to allow the brush to do the work, so very little pressure should be applied. Don’t forget to clean both sides of your teeth and all chewing surfaces—and don’t forget your wisdom teeth if you still have them.
• The right timing: How long are you brushing? How many times a day are you brushing? Dentists will tell you the best way to build healthy habits for brushing teeth is by brushing “2 by 2.” This means you need to brush for two minutes, twice a day. You’ll have a bright, clean smile in no time.
• The right tools: We recommend using a natural healing toothpaste and mouth rinse like Dental Herb Company’s Tooth and Gum Paste and Tonic. Also, many people forget to replace their toothbrush on a regular basis. It’s important to replace your brush every three months to ensure effectiveness—weak bristles just don’t get the job done.

Floss Daily

Flossing is one of the most healthy habits for your teeth, and shouldn’t be neglected. Although brushes do the best job possible for in-between your teeth, no toothbrush can clean that in-between space where gums and teeth meet as effectively as flossing.

By flossing once a day, you can remove plaque from those hard-to-reach places. If not addressed, plaque hardens and becomes tartar, which requires professional cleaning. This buildup can produce cavities, gum disease, bone loss, and might even lead to lost teeth. As much as we enjoy seeing our patients’ friendly faces, we want you to keep your teeth and gums healthy, vibrant, and in your mouth for a lifetime. The best way to ensure that is to build the healthy habit of flossing between teeth each day.

Limit Snacks Between Meals

Everybody has a sweet tooth—even Dr. Aguil! But oral hygiene is a crucial part of overall wellness. To maintain healthy habits for your teeth, avoid snacking on foods that are high in sugar or starch. If you get hungry mid-morning or afternoon, sub in some fruits or vegetables. Both help stimulate natural saliva flow, reducing tooth decay and re-mineralizing the surfaces of your teeth. If you end up indulging in a high sugar snack during the day, brush your teeth as soon as possible to stop tooth decay in its tracks. A convenient way to do this is to use disposable toothbrushes. Some even have toothpaste built right into the head. Keep a few of them in your desk drawer at work or in your purse for a convenient way to keep your teeth clean and your breath fresh.

Stay Away From Tobacco, Vaping, and Marijuana

Did you know that smokers are four times more likely to develop gum disease than non-smokers? Smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes—or chewing tobacco—increases the risk of oral cancer. Also, most smokeless tobacco brands use sugar-based sweeteners, which makes users more susceptible to tooth decay. We recommend avoiding all types of tobacco to protect your teeth and gums. Vaping, which is often touted as a safer alternative to smoking, should also be avoided for good oral health.

Marijuana is not healthy for your teeth and gums either. Tobacco and cannabis products of any kind are never part of healthy habits for your oral health!

Keep Up With Your Regular Check-Ups And Cleanings

It’s impossible to remove all plaque from your teeth and gum line solely through brushing and flossing. In fact, plaque begins to build up every time you eat or drink. To keep your smile confident and radiant, supplement your healthy habits with regular teeth cleanings at least twice a year. We’ll gently clean your teeth in our soothing environment. Sit back in the chair with a warm blanket and enjoy your favorite show on Netflix while wearing noise-canceling headphones. In our office, getting your teeth cleaned isn’t a chore, it’s a delight!

At Exquisite Dentistry, we prioritize your oral hygiene—building habits, smiles, and relationships that last. We offer a wide array of services such as porcelain veneers, Invisalign, and laser teeth whitening to make your smile the very best it can be. We even offer pain-free sedation dentistry for those who are uncomfortable getting dental work done.

Visit our unique, dental spa environment at Exquisite Dentistry and experience the ultimate in high-end dentistry. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.