How to maintain oral hygiene

ORAL HYGIENE

Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's mouth clean and germs free. It involves brushing your teeth and visiting your dentist regularly. 

Oral hygiene includes all the processes for keeping mouth clean and healthy. Good oral hygiene is necessary for prevention of dental caries, periodontal diseases, bad breath and other dental problems.

" Prevention is always better than cure ". Good oral hygiene habits will keep away most of the dental problems,  saving you from toothaches and costly dental treatments.

IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HYGIENE

 Proper oral hygiene and dental care are vital to the health and well being of a person. Improper or inadequate oral hygiene can result in unintended weight loss, reduction in quality of life, dehydration and many other infections

 If you take proper care of your teeth, you can avoid oral health problems such as cavities, gum diseases and other issues.

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Dental hygiene is important to your oral health because it reduces your risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease. Without proper care of your teeth, bacteria can reach levels that might lead to infections. When left untreated, both tooth decay and gum disease can have serious impacts on your oral health.

Good oral hygiene is directly related to good health. Apart from preventing oral diseases such as tooth decay and gum disease, maintaining good oral health indirectly helps to prevent diabetes, heart diseases and many other health issues as well.

Practicing good dental hygiene is so important, because it can prevent you from getting many types of oral diseases. Prevention should be the primary focus.

SIGNS OF POOR ORAL HYGIENE

Poor oral hygiene manifests in a number of different forms. From bleeding or swelling gums to toothaches, poor oral hygiene has plenty of forms.

Following are some signs of poor oral hygiene:-

• Bad breath
• Bleeding gums
• Dry mouth
• Tooth erosion
• Gum disease- etc

WAYS TO IMPROVE ORAL HYGIENE

Behind every bright and beautiful smile are strong teeth and lots of dental hygiene and care. However, this pretty smile lasts until your teeth and gums are healthy. Once you stop paying attention to your oral health, a number of dental issues arise, which have direct and indirect impacts on your overall health.

Following are few ways to improve oral hygiene:-

1. PROPER BRUSHING :- Brushing your teeth after every meal will prevent food from getting stuck between teeth and gums. It is important to brush properly in each area of your mouth every day.
2. FLOSS REGULARLY :- Flossing at least once a day before bedtime or after each meal helps to keep gums healthy and prevent cavities from forming.
3. CONSIDER MOUTHWASH :- Mouth wash reduces the amount of acid in the mouth, cleans hard to brush areas in and around the gums. 
4. DRINK MORE WATER:-  Drinking water after every meal can help wash out negative effects of sticky and acidic foods and beverages.
5. BRUSH YOUR TONGUE:-Whenever you brush your teeth, don't forget to brush your tongue as your tongue holds bacteria like a sponge.

VISIT DENTIST REGULARLY:- Routine dental exams and cleanings are essential for good oral health.  

By maintaining proper oral hygiene we can prevent ourselves from getting number of infections like tooth decay, tooth erosion, periodontal diseases- etc.