Good dental hygiene is about more than just making sure your breath smells good. Dentists go through years of training to keep your teeth and gums healthy. That should tell you just how important it is to take care of them.

If you want a bright and shiny smile while keeping your oral health on point, do the following six things and your dentist will thank you.

  1. Shake Your Sugar Habit

It doesn’t hurt to have a treat once in a while, but sugar shouldn’t be consumed too frequently. Not only can it lead to tooth decay, but it’s also associated with several diseases.

If you’re looking to save on dentists, cutting down on sugar is the simplest way to do it. You’ll be filling cavity after cavity if you don’t. More fillings mean a higher dental bill, so it’s best to shake that sugar habit sooner rather than later.

  1. Check-up

Visiting a dentist once or twice a year will help to identify potential issues before they become costly problems. It’s like that visit you pay your General Practitioner every now and again.

Certain problems may not be visible to you when you look at yourself in the mirror or floss your teeth. It takes a professional eye to spot problems early on, so make sure you schedule an appointment with your dentist once in a while.

  1. Your Mouth Isn’t An Island

Your oral health determines how well the rest of your body operates. From your nervous system to your excretory system, it’s all affected by what happens between your lips.

Does your breath stink for no apparent reason? It could be a sign of something going wrong in your internal organs. Does your mouth seem unusually dry all the time? It could be signaling an autoimmune disease, stroke, or even Alzheimer’s.

Do everything you can to take care of your oral health, and your entire body will thank you for it.

  1. If You Don’t Floss, You’ll Be at a Loss

There are more people with gum disease than you might imagine. It doesn’t matter if you have the best toothbrush in the business – you need to floss in order to reach every nook and cranny. 

You don’t even have to do it so many times; flossing once before you brush in the morning or evening is enough. Add this to your daily oral hygiene routine, and you’ll be far less likely to lose teeth as you get older.

  1. Involve the Kids

Children need to care for their teeth just as much as you do, if not more. Carelessness now will result in future complications, so it’s best to get them excited about oral hygiene while you can.

Dentists usually have a few tricks up their sleeves to make little ones comfortable, so don’t leave them behind next time you go for a check-up.

  1. Say No to Smoke

Apart from all the risks associated with smoking, teeth and gums don’t fare too well in a smoker’s mouth. 

Whether you smoke hookah, cigarettes, or even a vaporizer, you’re causing your teeth to yellow and you’re weakening the gums, leaving them vulnerable to bacterial infection.

Find ways to kick the habit. Join a support group and download an anti-smoking app – whatever it takes to stop you from making yourself sicker and sicker every day.  

Remember, your teeth and gums affect your overall health, so work on those cravings to help keep your oral hygiene on point. 

As you can see, it’s not enough to brush your teeth in the morning and evening. There is a whole lot more that goes into keeping your pearly whites pearly.