As you age, you may have more concerns about the appearance and health of your teeth. While you can’t prevent everything, there are actions that you can take to protect your teeth as you get older starting today. Here are four dental tips that everyone should consider, regardless of your current age.
Eat Healthily
Eating a healthy diet can help your body and your teeth as you age. Consuming fruits and veggies, as well as foods with high levels of antioxidants or calcium, can help keep your teeth looking great. Sugary foods, acidic foods, and sodas can wear away at the enamel of your teeth and can promote tooth decay. It is best to avoid highly processed and sugary foods whenever possible to promote good dental health.
Daily Oral Hygiene
Proactive daily oral hygiene habits can make the biggest difference in your long-term oral health. This includes brushing your teeth effectively twice a day and flossing. You can switch to an electronic toothbrush to be able to get an even better clean. You can discuss your oral hygiene habits with your oral hygienist to ask for tips to ensure that you’re doing a thorough job keeping your teeth clean.
Quit Smoking
Smoking cigarettes can significantly age your teeth and gums while putting you at a bigger risk of lung and mouth cancers. Even if you currently smoke, there is a benefit of quitting to your overall health. It is never too late to improve your health, lung function, and appearance by quitting. Smoking can age your teeth, causing significant discoloration, and hurt your gum tissue.
Regular Dental Visits
Scheduling regular dental visits with a trustworthy dentist is an important way to protect your teeth as you get older. For most patients, this means going to the dentist twice a year for a checkup. Depending on any medical or dental conditions you have, such as gum disease, your dentist could recommend more frequent appointments.
Going to the same dentist for frequent appointments over several years provides major advantages over going to different offices. By having the same dentist monitor your teeth, they will be able to identify any potential changes or problems that occur between visits or over time. This can be more difficult for a new dentist to detect since they won’t have any notes about past dental exams to reference.
Taking care of your teeth over the course of your life can provide many advantages to your health and appearance. While dental advances make it possible to replace missing teeth with implants and implant-supported dentures, it is better to try to avoid tooth loss in the first place. Being proactive with your dental health, scheduling regular appointments with your dentist and quitting smoking can help to protect your teeth over the years.
Call SmileMakers Comprehensive Dentistry and make an appointment today: 334-277-5498 or request an appointment and someone will contact you for scheduling.