January 10, 2020

4 Easy Steps to Prevent Tooth Decay

The best way to protect your teeth from tooth decay is to avoid highly acidic foods and carbohydrates like lollies, pretzels, and chips which can stick to the tooth surface. And if you snack all day like me? Then you are more at risk of ending up with tooth decay.

So how do we still eat all these wonderful foods, not have to brush our teeth every 5 seconds and still look after our teeth so we don’t end up with a million fillings? Well, there are a few things you (and I) can do to help keep teeth healthy and your smile beautiful.

  1. Brush (and floss) twice a day – morning and night. If you do miss a brush, make sure it is a morning one and not a night brush as when we sleep it is prime time for plaque bacteria to multiply and make camp on our teeth, leading to tooth decay
  2. Drink plenty of water – This helps wash the left-over particles of food out of our mouth and ensure nothing is sticking to our teeth
  3. Chew a dental gum – Notice I say dental gum and not just chewing gum. Dental gum is different as the ingredients are designed to improve the bacteria in your mouth and reduces the amount of plaque bacteria in your mouth. Chewing gum promotes saliva which helps wash away left-over particles of food, and gives you fresh-smelling breath, however, it doesn’t address the plaque-causing bacteria and if it contains sugar then it can actually be worse than not chewing at all
  4. Get regular checkups – get your teeth checked at least once per year, and more often if you have pre-existing teeth issues such as Enamel Hypoplasia (soft teeth)

So where do you buy dental gum? Well, you will want to look at your local pharmacy or even online. Plunkett’s has a dental gum that is available in select pharmacies that uses a natural sweetener called Xylitol. Xylitol is known to reduce plaque-causing bacteria and is safe to chew for young and old alike. The other great thing about Xylitol is it is lactose-free, gluten-free, vegan friendly and there are no GMOs. It is also low GI making it suitable for diabetics!

So, 4 easy steps to prevent tooth decay and improve your smile; brush, drink water, chew dental gum, and regular checkups. I’m pretty sure we can all manage these easy steps so we can continue eating the way we want to.