Parts of a Dental Hygiene Regimen That Tend To Be Overlooked
These days, just brushing your teeth daily isn’t enough for good-looking teeth and a healthy mouth. In fact, a large chunk of dental and mouth care doesn’t involve the teeth at all. The rest of your mouth, including your gums, cheeks, and tongue all have different little quirks that you may want to be wary of. If you want your breath to smell fresh, your food to taste good, and your mouth to stay clean, you’ll need to do a little more than just brush your teeth.
There are a lot of dental tools available on the market today, with some being of questionable effectiveness. There are others, though, that can be overlooked, and this little article should help you figure out what you need to keep your mouth clean.
CLEANING YOUR TONGUE
The tongue is one of the most important parts of your body. It’s also one of the most sensitive parts, with one of the largest concentrations of neurons throughout the body. And it’s not hard to see why — the tongue is responsible for handling your sense of taste, and without it, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between sugar and salt. Aside from this, your tongue is home to a ton of bacteria as it’s what comes into contact with food the most when you eat. Cleaning your tongue, therefore, should be a top priority.
There are a few ways to keep your tongue clean and healthy. For example, some toothbrushes have a textured side on the back of the toothbrush head. This textured and ridged back can be used to scrub off any particles remaining on your tongue. It also can remove anything that may have stuck onto your tongue or under it after eating a hefty meal.
There’s also a tool known as a tongue scraper. As the name suggests, a tongue scraper works by scraping your tongue from top to bottom. Tongue scrapers are said to have quite a few benefits, including the ability to improve your sense of taste. While tongue scrapers can look quite intimidating, they’re actually quite easy to use and safe to boot.
MAINTAINING HEALTHY GUMS
Gums are also very important to keep healthy at all times. They’re what hold your teeth in place and they’re also quite sensitive. Damaged or unhealthy gums can be a bad sign, and while bad gums are not fun to look at, they can also prove to be somewhat serious health issues. Because of this, you’ll want to keep your gums as healthy as the teeth that they hold.
One of the most effective ways to keep your gums healthy is by simply eating healthy food. Your dental regimen doesn’t have to stop the moment you leave the sink. Everything you eat affects how healthy your gums are, and if you don’t get the right vitamins, you may end up with unhealthy gums. Taking your daily dose of vitamins and eating a balanced diet can really go a long way.
While teeth are the most visible aspect of your mouth, they’re not the end-all-be-all of dental hygiene. There are many other things to consider, and if you want your mouth to stay healthy and fresh, you’ll need to take care of the other parts of your mouth, too.