Establishing a good, at-home dental care regimen is a very important part of maintaining a healthy mouth. Things like making sure you brush a minimum of twice a day, using mouthwash following meals, flossing, cleaning your tongue and several other practices all play a role in keeping your oral health in good condition.
But there are also individual factors that should always be considered when customizing your own, personal care routine. For that, we suggest a one-on-one consultation with one of our dental health experts to decide exactly what kind of program would work best for you.
General Care
There are some pieces of advice that would apply to any dental patient, regardless of their unique conditions or circumstances. Obviously, brushing twice a day and flossing at least once a day would be a couple of solid recommendations. But there are also things such as eating a healthy diet with lots of vitamins and minerals while avoiding sugary sweets and high sodium foods. Regularly scheduled trips to see us for routine checkups and maintenance are also recommended.
Personalized Care
Going beyond the principles of generalized care which apply to every dental patient, each individual will usually also benefit from a little personalized attention as well. For example, patients who are more susceptible to gum disease might do best to use toothpastes and mouthwashes which contain antimicrobial activity. Those having trouble cleaning between their teeth may need a different type of floss or hygiene tool. Still, others who may need a more aggressive approach to battling plaque might benefit from switching to an electric toothbrush.
Lifestyle Factors
Finally, there are also other things to take into consideration when developing a home care routine for your dental health. Things like quitting smoking or chewing tobacco is something that should be seriously discussed between doctor and patient. Also, home-based and do-it-yourself orthopedic practices are highly discouraged as they can lead to serious problems when performed incorrectly.
Additionally, avoiding oral piercings may also be recommended if they pose some type of danger to the dental health of the patient. Regardless of all of the specific suggestions that might be suitable for any given individual, the main thing is to keep the lines of communication open with your dentist at all times.
No matter how effective and consistent your home care routine might be, it doesn’t take the place of regularly scheduled checkups and oral health maintenance from one of our professionals. Give our office a call today at 479.646.0706 to schedule your next appointment here at River Valley Smile Center.
