Patients are often asking usabout how they can keep their teeth strong.
An article on WebMD, explains 15 Ways to Wreck Your Teeth:
1. Don’t brush after every meal
(You have to read this one completely because the BEST practice is to brush after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but not immediately after you have eaten since the acid level in your mouth is high. Instead of waiting up to 60 minutes as the article mentions, we recommend swishing with water, mouthwash or chewing sugar-free gum. This will speed up the saliva neutralization time before you brush. Do not let food particles sit between the teeth while you wait! That makes the situation even worse.)
3. Skip checkups
4. Use your teeth as tools
5. Ditch the mouthguard
6. Grind away
7. Guzzle soda, sports drinks, and fruit juices
8. Drink lots of red wine, coffee, or tea
9. Whiten too often
10. Drink bottled water
11. Get your tongue pierced
12. Be bulimic
13. Abuse drugs
14. Chronically use some legal medications
15. Continue lighting up
If you have questions about any of these, ask us during your next visit!
Exceptional Dentistry serves the Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, IA and Galena, IL areas. To schedule a consultation about your smile, call us today at 563-556-2711 or contact us using this form.