The ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Good Oral Hygiene
Your oral health is incredibly important. Modern diets often consist of sugar-laden convenience food that might taste great but can have an incredibly detrimental impact on your teeth and gums. Teeth are one of the most valuable aspects of our bodies that we take for granted considering once they become damaged or fall out, no more adult sets appear in their place. Dental costs are expensive, and the cheapest and healthiest way to have a healthy mouth is to take good care of what you already have. The following is a list of ideas to help maintain good oral hygiene to protect your mouth and boost your confidence.
How Oral Hygiene Affects Your Confidence
You might think keeping your teeth and gums healthy only serves physical benefits, but these can translate mentally too. Whether aiding romantic or professional relationships or simply boosting your own self-esteem, having a clean and healthy-looking mouth will provide a fantastic source of self-assurance. In fact, poor oral hygiene has been linked as a symptom of poor mental health, which demonstrates the link between self-care and wellbeing. This is done in several ways: fresh breath, aligned teeth, healthy coloring, and healthy gums.
Regular Brushing
We’ve all heard the age-old lesson: brush your teeth twice a day. In fact, you should be brushing your teeth after sugary snacks or drinks as well, to minimize their effect on your enamel. Fizzy drinks have a shocking amount of sugar in them, which doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give them up (although you should certainly attempt to moderate your consumption of them!) but educating yourself on their contents will inform you on how often you should actually brush your teeth. It is always handy to keep a travel-sized toothbrush and paste in your handbag or rucksack for this reason, and also keeps you prepared if you have to stay overnight without luggage.
Mouthwash
This is often overlooked, but is in fact the easiest extra step to take care of your teeth, gums, and breath in one fell swoop! The extra minute you spend gargling mouthwash in the morning and evening can effectively double the protection and hygienic care your mouth receives daily and can yield benefits that last for years to come if the habit is maintained.
Floss
It is surprising to imagine that a lot of adults today don’t know how to effectively floss, and this is why dentists are stereotyped into reminding us to do so. When flossing, rather than moving the material between your teeth, the true cleaning power of flossing is utilized when moving the material between the tooth and the gum itself. Doing this can rapidly remove plaque and debris you previously would not have even registered and can really elevate your oral hygiene.
Braces
Though many people associate braces with awkward teenage years and a mouth full of metal, this is no longer the case, especially within the adult demographic. Usually, you cannot even tell when a grown man or woman has braces, as there are fantastic practices such as ALIGNERCO who offer invisible braces that can work to realign your smile without compromising months and potentially years of wearing visible braces. Braces from ALIGNERCO are just as affordable as regular teeth straightening, added with their bonus of anonymity. You’ll receive a kit in the post for taking a mold of your teeth, so it’s really easy.
Whitening Products
These should be thoroughly researched before purchasing, and if you want to preserve the strength and integrity of your existing teeth, we recommend not buying any products with harsh bleaching chemicals. Although these may yield the most visibly effective results, they can often harm your existing teeth and make them appear much worse in the long term. Gentler products with more natural ingredients are a route that requires more patience but are also much safer and kinder to your teeth
Gum
A good rule of thumb is to keep a small pack of gum on your person or in your bag at all times. This goes especially for those in a professional environment and is absolutely essential on a date. Nobody wants someone with bad breath in their personal space, and it is a common courtesy that should be upheld. In recent times, mask-wearing has made many people much more aware of keeping their breath fresh, and thus gum (sugar-free is preferred!) is a brilliant way to prevent bad breath and dry mouth. If you don’t like gum, sprays or hard mints are also handy alternatives.
Implement these ideas and practices into your daily living and you will be sure to notice a real difference to your confidence, and long term they’ll have a huge sense of gratitude that you looked after your body. Teeth are something to be treasured. They have an effect on your day-to-day life and your overarching health, as poor oral hygiene can breed problems both mental and physical.