As we grow older, our body needs more attention to maintain its health. This also holds true for dental wellness, which requires you to be more vigilant in order to retain a beautiful smile and prevent issues like tooth decay and gum disease.
At first, this might seem like a huge undertaking. But when you take a closer look, this practice doesn’t ask much from you. You only need to adjust a few habits and possibly not even make significant changes to what you already do for your dental care.
To assist you on this road to dental wellness, here’s how to keep your teeth healthy as you get older.
Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day
Whether you want tips for reducing dental care costs or require suggestions for maintaining your oral health, you may often see the advice to brush your teeth twice a day. This not only maintains the natural sheen of your teeth by preventing plaque buildup but also keeps bad bacteria at bay to reduce the risk of infections. In turn, you can lower your chances of experiencing tooth decay, gum disease, and loss of teeth.
Don’t Forget to Floss
Flossing is an incredibly important dental care practice, but it is often ignored by many people. When you grow older, flossing becomes even more crucial for your dental health due to how it removes food particles from between your teeth and prevents a variety of conditions. This is also beneficial for artificial teeth like implants. That is why, your dentist may advise you to take on flossing whether or not you had any implants procedures done with a surgical stent.
Use an Alcohol-free Mouthwash
There is much to be said about common mouthwash products and the harm they can do to your health. But those negative points are usually associated with an alcohol-based mouthwash that dries out your mouth and increases the risk of oral cancer. In contrast, using alcohol-free mouthwash with fluoride can strengthen your teeth and protect your mouth. You can learn more about this by asking your local dentist or booking a consultation through a telehealth platform.
Rinse Your Mouth After Having Food
Even when you have the best dental implants, it’s important that you put some time and effort into caring for them. While growing older, this means that you remember to rinse your mouth before you brush your teeth and right after you eat something, especially when it’s high in sugar or carbs. This makes sure that you can get rid of food particles that can damage your teeth and gums.
Adjust Your Lifestyle Habits
You may have heard all about cutting down sugar, letting go of smoking, and saying goodbye to alcohol to improve dental health. But eating healthy foods can have just as much of a positive effect on your oral wellness. For example, when you eat crunchy vegetables and calcium-rich dairy, it can keep your teeth healthy as you age. Besides watching your diet, you can also keep a water bottle handy with you to drink water throughout the day to maintain your dental health.
Be Careful About Post-procedure Care
When you get any kind of dental procedure like scaling, implants, or veneers, it’s critical that you pay attention to post-procedure care. This doesn’t require you to move mountains. Instead, you just need to follow aftercare instructions that are provided to you by your dentist. This reduces the chances for infections and ensures ideal recovery. You can use solutions like a medication reminder app to stay on top of these practices.
Keep Up With Dentist Visits
Regardless of your age, the importance of regular dental checkups remains critical. By seeing your dentist at least twice a year as you grow old, you can detect issues like tooth decay before they become unmanageable. Besides getting procedures like dental cleaning on time, you can also receive dental fillings to prevent cavities and steer clear of the pain that stems from them. This makes sure that you can maintain your oral health without any compromise.
Through these tips, you can take care of your dental health without adding unnecessary stress to your plate. This can help you preserve your smile and enjoy your golden years instead of having to worry about dental issues.
