Health & Fitness

How To Prevent Cavities Without Going To The Dentist

How to prevent cavities without going to the Dentist



Above, Mileena - Mortal Kombat



Below are dental hygiene tips for long lasting teeth without needing the dentist more than once a year for a check up. Did you know that by the time the average American turns 50, they've already have had a couple root canals, tooth extractions, gum disease and more? Below are tips to help you practice great oral care to minimize expensive treatments later in life.



Understand the link between your stomach and teeth: digestion begins in the mouth and a huge factor in tooth decay and gum disease is bad nutrition and bad stress



If you want healthy teeth, you will need to eat healthy. Stress can also have a negative impact on your teeth, so learn to be calm and tranquil. One must also chew properly, as most people eat in a hurry, not properly chewing food which can lead to digestive problems such as bloating, flatulence, heart burn, malnutrition, etc.


How To Prevent Cavities Without Going To The Dentist




Stop using commercial toothpaste



Commercial toothpaste contains abrasives that weaken your teeth's enamel, exposing the dentine underneath. Commercial toothpaste also contain harmful chemicals such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (used in shampoos, shaving creams and used for the foaming action), Fluoride (a neuro-toxin), sugar (yes, artificial sweetener to mask the taste of harmful chemicals) and so on and so forth.



Here is an article and a YouTube video on the harmful effects of commercial toothpaste



5 Harmful Ingredients in Commercial Toothpaste







So what do you use instead? Ayurvedic toothpaste that's made with holistic herbs



How To Prevent Cavities Without Going To The Dentist




Stop using your toothbrush for so long


How To Prevent Cavities Without Going To The Dentist
The life of a toothbrush is only 3 months. Most people use the same toothbrush for several months. You should be switching your toothbrush every couple months. When the bristles on your toothbrush wear out, the don't effectively clean your teeth, in addtion, old toothbrushes can harbor tons of bacteria which you're continually embedding into your teeth and gums everytime you use it.



Use a straight bristle toothbrush or buy an electric toothbrush



How To Prevent Cavities Without Going To The Dentist




Turns out that the best toothbrush for you is the simple old fashioned toothbrush without all that crazy wavy patterns. Yes, the ones with jagged this and jagged that for getting into this or getting between that cervice with weird curvy handles, not only cost more, but actually wear out faster.



Brush your teeth for two minutes



Don't let the taste of the toothpaste fool you into thinking your mouth is clean. Most people brush their teeth for only 30 seconds, feel the minty flavor in their mouth and then call it quits. The problem with this, is that you are not effectively cleaning your teeth. You must brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes, and start with the back molar teeth first, so you can put all the energy you have at the start into the tougher to clean teeth such as your molars. Also don't overdo it, brush your teeth for four minutes straight can cause damage to your teeth.



When you brush your teeth, don't go back and forth (left to right or right to left) but rather....







Brush your teeth twice a day



Brush more than once but less than three times a day. Brush only once, and you're disgusting, brush more than twice and you can do some damage to your teeth. Ideally, you want to aim for brushing your teeth in the morning and once before going to bed. Not brushing your teeth at night before bed means that any food stuck in your teeth will provide a feast for harmful bacteria. Bad bacteria in your mouth consume sugars and food particles and then release an acidic gas (call it germ farts) which cause tremendous damage to enamel. Over time, the enamel will expose the dentine providing bad bacteria an even bigger buffet, your teeth itself.



Don't brush your teeth after eating breakfast, but ideally before breakfast



You should brush your teeth before breakfast. The reason is, people have a tendency to brush their teeth immediately after eating. What happens when you eat food is that your mouth becomes acidic (eating food turns your mouth's PH balance toward the acidic side) when you brush your teeth after eating, you push the acidity into your teeth and gums which cause damage. So unless you want to wait up to 30 minutes after eating breakfast, you should strive for brushing your teeth, before, breakfast.



Swish water in your mouth after eating each meal.



After eating breakfast, brunch, lunch, liner or dinner, you want to switch and gargle with either plain water or warm water with added sea salt. Swishing with water will dislodge food stuck in your teeth after each meal, so food that's stuck in your teeth won't decay and rot and serve as food for bad bacteria. I recommend water as most people don't carry mouthwash around with them all the time. Also, you don't want to be using mouthwash more than twice a day as mouthwash contains alcohol and or other ingredients which can be harmful to teeth if using in large doses.



Stop storing your toothbrush in the bathroom



More than half the toothbrushes had feces on it according to one study. Bathrooms are not only dark, but are moist which is the perfect incubating grounds for bacteria. Not to mention, every time you flush the toilet, fecal matter particles disperse in the air and then settle on surfaces such as your toothbrush. You can soak your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide over night to kill bacteria, and store your toothbrush in a toothbrush holder in your room. (Actually, a controlled study by Mythbusters reveals fecal matter existing on tooth brushes in unavoidable, however, it might be helpful not to store your toothbrush in the bathroom regardless)



Floss, but floss properly



Most people don't floss, but when they do, they do it wrong. When you floss your teeth, you are only supposed to wrap the floss around each side of each tooth and pull up once and pull down once, gently, and you are only supposed to touch your gumline, not chisel into it with your floss. Chiseling into your gumline like a saw going through wood, will only cause more problems to your teeth, such as deformed gumlines, serious mouth diseases, misaligned teeth, etc. You can also use an electric water-pick, which shoots jet stream of water between your teeth.






Here is how to properly floss your teeth






Clean your tongue with a tongue scrapper



After brushing your teeth, you want to use a tooth cleaner to clean your tongue. Your tongue is actually the source of bad breath, as the sponge like tongue harbors trillions of bacteria within it. No wonder they say your mouth as more germs in it than your feet! If you don't have a tongue cleaner, use your toothbrush to gently clean your tongue. 10-15 scrapes should be enough, don't overdo it unless you want a sore tongue.



Stop using medium or hard toothbrushes



You are damaging your enamel, your toothbrush is meant to clean your teeth, not shine it. Hard and medium toothbrushes are actually very bad for your gums and teeth enamel as it can cause scratches in your enamel which can cause bacteria and food to settle in the cervices caused by the scratches.



Thanks for reading



How To Prevent Cavities Without Going To The Dentist



How To Prevent Cavities Without Going To The Dentist




How To Prevent Cavities Without Going To The Dentist
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