How to Make Your Teeth Stronger

Your teeth are an essential part of your everyday life and the foundation of your oral health. The best way to keep your teeth strong and healthy is through a combination of effective home-based oral hygiene, a balanced diet, a healthy lifestyle, and regular dental hygiene visits. Proactively taking care of your teeth by focusing on these key activities puts you on a trajectory towards overall health and a radiant smile. 

Practice Proper Oral Hygiene

When it comes to keeping your teeth healthy, prevention is key. Oral hygiene is the foundation of your oral health. Consistent oral care routines maintain strong, healthy teeth by preventing tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral conditions.

Recommended oral hygiene routines include:

• Brushing your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes at a time. Make sure you thoroughly clean all your teeth. Hygienists can demonstrate the most effective brushing methods and introduce you to different tools to enhance plaque removal. 
• Using remineralizing toothpaste. There are many brands of toothpaste that replace fluoride with non-hydroxyapatite (n-Ha), a non-toxic form of calcium that helps rebuild enamel naturally, effectively and safely. 
• Flossing once a day. Flossing can help remove food particles, build-up and plaque from between your teeth and along the gumline. Our dental team can introduce you to some fun new flossing devices to make the job a little easier.
• Using mouthwash daily. Using an antibacterial mouthwash can help eliminate any bacteria that may be in your mouth. There are home-made recipes that can help control harmful build-up.
• Brushing after acidic conditions normalize. Acidic and sugary foods can create conditions in the mouth that weaken enamel. Waiting a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour after you eat before brushing will allow your enamel to remineralize.

Following a proper daily oral care routine can make a remarkable difference for the strength of your teeth!

Eat a Healthy & Balanced Diet

The food and beverages you consume every day contribute substantially to the health of your teeth. Maintaining a balanced, healthy diet including calcium-rich foods and drinks, like milk, cheese, and yogurt, is the best way to maintain healthy teeth and bones. Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals that our teeth depend on.

Overly acidic or sugary foods and drinks are best limited or avoided entirely. Sugars and acids can promote conditions that cause damage to the protective enamel of your teeth which, if left unmanaged can lead to tooth decay. Life certainly is worth living well, so if you choose to drink a carbonated beverage or eat a sugary snack, make a point to take the necessary steps to apply the proper oral hygiene recommendations listed above. 

Lead a Healthy Lifestyle

Your lifestyle choices may be impacting your oral health more than you think. When it comes to making your teeth stronger, it’s important to look at the whole picture—little things you do during the day may be causing more damage to your teeth than you’d expect. 

Many of the beverages we consume can have a significant impact on the overall health of our oral system. Acidic and sugary drinks are harmful to the teeth and soft tissues. Drinking lots of water helps stimulate saliva production and neutralize acidity levels, both of which help prevent decay and/or infection.

Smoking, or any other kind of tobacco usage, can have a significant detrimental effect on your teeth. It not only stains them but can damage them over time, which can lead to all kinds of other oral problems. Tobacco usage and smoking are linked to oral cancer, gum disease, tooth decay, and other serious illnesses. Smoking not only delays healing time, it can actually prevent oral recovery following dental procedures or traumatic events.  It’s important to do everything you can to avoid using tobacco!

Many people may be surprised to learn that they have a tooth grinding problem. This habit, known as bruxism, can weaken and damage your teeth over time. It’s often associated with stress, bite misalignment or sleeping routines. If you suspect that you may be grinding your teeth, you should speak with your dentist about solutions that have been developed to help preserve tooth structure..

Alcohol poses severe risks to our overall physical and mental health. Avoiding excessive and continuous alcohol consumption is a smart decision of the health conscious. In addition to having a harmful effect on your liver—excessive alcohol use can lead to oral health problems. Gum disease, dry mouth, staining, and tooth decay have all been linked to alcohol consumption.

Visit Your Dentist Regularly

While there are many things you can do every day to stay on top of your oral health, the most important is to regularly visit your dentist for hygiene visits and dental examinations.

The team of professionals at Living Wellness Dental are trained to recognize signs of any potentially-developing oral illnesses, and can work with you collaboratively to plan for required proactive treatment. Early detection and preventative action are at the heart of Living Well and keys to maintaining strong, healthy, beautifully radiant teeth.To learn more about ways to care for your teeth, schedule an appointment with us at Living Wellness Dental today!