What Are Ways To Take Care Your Teeth Beside Brushing Them 3 Times A Day And Not Eating Candy?
Xylitol, xylitol, xylitol! It’s a sugar substitute that is extracted from birch sap. The bacterium that causes cavities (S. Mutans) cannot digest it to use it to produce tooth-destroying acid, like it can with normal table sugar (sucrose) or other sugars (dextrose, glucose, etc). It ends up clogging up their digestive system without giving them energy, and they eventually die.
However, xylitol is harmless to humans, and we poop it right out. You can find it on the ingredients list of some candies these days – Trident has it, as do S’mints. Starbucks’ After Coffee Mints have it too.
Even if you don’t have cavities now, or don’t think you do, it’s still a good idea to chew xylitol gum or mints… it’ll keep the bacterial levels down, provided you do so on a regular basis.
Other stuff:
Limit or eliminate entirely your soda/pop intake. Intense amounts of sugar + carbonic acid from the soda = bad. That’ll give the bacteria in your mouth a feeding frenzy.
If you drink any sweetened drink, at the very minimum, rinse out with water/listerine afterwards.
If you drink any soda or carbonated beverage, rinse with water and then wait at least 30 mins before brushing your teeth. Carbonic acid in the soda softens the enamel, and root surface structure.
If you have GERD and/or have trouble keeping food down (e.g., bulimia, etc) , get that treated and under control. Stomach acid ruins teeth.
Drink plenty of water. Dry mouth = dry saliva, which means less protection from cavity-causing bacteria.
If you have chronic dry mouth, consider chewing a sugar-free baking soda gum or rinsing with a baking soda suspension in water throughout the day. This will help neutralize the acids bacteria produce to break down tooth structure.
Actually, if you have chronic dry mouth, you should talk to a dentist — there are rinses and medications that can help.
Floss – but recognize that floss works best when your gums are healthy, and tight against your gums. If you have “black triangles” or spaces between the teeth, consider using an interproximal brush – this looks like a little tuft of pipe cleaner mounted on a stick. It will help remove plaque.
Visit the dentist at least 2x a year and keepup the recommended periodic cleaning schedule
And always don’t be shy to ask your dentist these questions!
Don’t leave them out in the rain.
floss–waterpick–baking soda to whiten—do not eat ice,either.
Those are just about the main ways to take care of your teeth. Flossing daily also helps add a couple years onto your life. Using mouth wash before you go to bed helps as well but you should definitely stick with brushing at least twice a day. You can eat candy just not to the point where your teeth are going to rot out. Taking care of your teeth is just one of the essences to living longer. Its been proven! Something so simple…. =)