Avoiding cavities usually boils down to maintaining proper dental hygiene. Brushing and flossing are an essential part of oral care to keep your mouth clean and healthy. But your mouth can be a complicated and delicate part of the body. If you don’t maintain a healthy, balanced diet, that proper brushing and flossing may only do so much good. To keep your mouth healthy and cavity-free, here are a few helpful tips from your Ottawa dentist to fight cavities naturally.
Brush Before Eating Breakfast
During the night as you sleep, bacteria builds within your mouth. So if you get up and eat breakfast or toss down a glass of orange juice, the acidity can help form a sticky plaque and potentially damage your enamel. With that extra acidity lingering in your mouth, when you go to brush it afterwards, it can do more harm than good. No matter how strange the orange juice may taste after brushing, try to make a habit of brushing your teeth before you eat or drink anything in the morning. Always rinse your mouth out after eating so sugary substances don’t cling to your teeth throughout the day.
Snack on Licorice Twists
If you’ve got a love for licorice, there’s no better excuse to snack on them than for the sake of your teeth. Licorice has certain properties within it that help to kill the bacteria that causes gum disease and tooth decay.
Drink Green and Black Tea
Green and black tea are great for sipping on while combating cavities. They both have properties that help suppress the presence of bacteria in the mouth while also helping to minimize the build up of plaque.
Eat a Well-Balanced Diet
Of course, eating well and avoiding processed food and refined sugars also helps to keep cavities away. And try to boost up the health and strength of your teeth by incorporating vitamins A, D, E and K into your daily diet.
Oil Pulling
Oil pulling has been a method that had been used for centuries as an Ayurvedic technique for cleansing both the mouth and the body. You can choose from sesame, sunflower, or coconut oil. Take a spoonful each morning and swoosh it around in your mouth for at least 15 minutes. This helps to pull the bacteria out. Just be sure to spit out the oil into the trash and not the sink.
Fighting cavities doesn’t have to be difficult. You just have to keep your diet balanced, avoid refined sugars, acidic and carbonated drinks as much as you can. Use some of these natural techniques to help keep your oral health strong and cavity-free.
