Prevent Cavities With These 5 Habits [Blog]

Your healthiest smile is best achieved and maintained when you take a proactive approach to your dental care.

It includes what you do each day to keep your teeth healthy and how often you visit our team at 1st In Smiles in Plano, TX for important dental checkups!

But since we’re always in this together, our team wants to give you some tips about how to prevent cavities and other dental problems that may stand in the way of the healthy smile you deserve!

Prevent Cavities With These 5 Habits!

A cavity isn’t the end of the world, but it’s definitely never something you want to put off treating.

Even better, keeping a cavity from forming in the first place should always be your goal.

So here are five habits you can begin today to protect your teeth!

Brush & Floss the Right Way

It’s not enough to just brush your teeth everyday and leave it at that.

Believe it or not, there is a right way to brush, according to the American Dental Association.

It involves using a soft-bristle toothbrush, a fluoridated toothpaste, and a timer.

That’s right! If you’re not brushing for two minutes each time, you may need to step up your oral hygiene game!

And just as importantly, you need to commit to flossing every single day!

Eat More Fiber

Along with being the go-to nutrient for a healthy digestive system, fiber is also great for your teeth!

You may not realize it, but fiber is one of the nutritional components in your daily diet that encourages saliva production in your mouth, which you need to coat and protect your teeth and gums, wash away food particles between cleanings, and fight the invisible, lurking bacteria that cause tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease.

Avoid Excess Sugar

When it comes to your smile, sugar is the enemy!

It doesn’t mean you have to stay away from it completely, but you should keep your sugar consumption to a minimum so the bad bacteria in your mouth doesn’t have a food source.

When sugary particles linger in your mouth, it fuels that bacteria, which begins a process of deterioration of all the structures that keep your smile healthy and intact.

Visit the Dentist Every 6 Months

In most cases, twice-annual dental cleanings and exams will be enough to keep your mouth healthy. That’s because you’re not only getting rid of the plaque on your teeth and gums before it hardens into tartar, but it gives us a chance to catch oral health threats as early as possible so they don’t get out of control!

Get Fluoride Treatments & Dental Sealants

We offer fluoride treatments in several forms so your teeth get the best protection against decay and cavities.

You can get a quick varnish to finish off your routine cleaning and exam, take a prescription-strength fluoride treatment home with you, or strengthen your tooth enamel with an in-office foam fluoride.

Dental sealants are another effective weapon to protect your smile from cavities, especially for those back molars with all their dips and grooves that are harder to keep clean.

Make an Appointment

Five habits sounds like a lot to take up all at once.

But odds are you’re probably putting at least one or two of them into practice already.

Our team at 1st In Smiles can help you with the rest!

Take advantage of our diverse dental services that will work to stop oral health problems before they start.

At your next dental checkup, be sure to ask about how we can help you get a healthy smile!

Call our Plano, TX dental office today at 972-380-8105 or contact us online to request an appointment.