Good oral hygiene has a lot of components beyond just brushing your teeth after meals and snacks. Here are some parts you may have overlooked.

1. Tongue Brushing

You hear a lot about brushing and flossing, but did you know that it’s important to brush your tongue, too? Many people overlook this important part of oral hygiene. Bacteria can grow on the surface of your tongue very easily. The surface of your tongue is not smooth; it contains many tiny nodules that are your taste buds. Bacteria can attach to those nodules and cause bad breath as well as a general harmful condition. After you brush and floss your teeth, take a moment to brush your tongue or use a tongue scraper, which you can buy in any drugstore.

2. Flossing

Flossing is the only way that you can clean between your teeth. Brushing just isn’t enough. That’s why, every time you visit your dentist in San Antonio, they ask if you’ve been flossing. They know that if you haven’t been flossing, there’s apt to be problems developing in between your teeth.

3. Rinsing

Rinsing is an important part of oral hygiene that many people overlook. What you rinse with isn’t as important as the fact that you rinse. You can rinse with a commercial mouthwash, a homemade rinse, or even just tap water. But it’s critical that you rinse after brushing and flossing so that any loose bits of food can get rinsed away.

4. Hand Washing

You wouldn’t ordinarily think that hand washing has anything to do with oral hygiene, but it does. Think about how you handle your floss. You should be careful washing your hands before you floss because your hands are going to be all over that string that you’re putting in between your teeth.

5. Replacing Your Toothbrush

It’s surprising how long people will hold on to their same toothbrush. Typically, people don’t think to replace their toothbrush until bristles are flattened or falling out. But dentists recommend that you replace your toothbrush at least once a month. Buy several at a time so you can quickly replace them as needed. If you don’t like the idea of discarding what looks like a perfectly good toothbrush, reuse it as a cleaning tool for your household needs.

Home dental care is just as important as the care you receive at your dentist’s office in San Antonio. To book your next dentist appointment, please contact us today.

Atrial fibrillation, which is also referred to as AF or AFib, is a condition that causes arrhythmias. Arrhythmia is the term used for an irregular or quivering heartbeat. AFib can lead to blood clot formation. These blood clots can cause an individual to suffer a stroke, heart failure or some other heart-related complication. However, the good news is that studies indicate brushing your teeth three times a day makes it less likely that you will develop atrial fibrillation and blood clots, thus, reducing the risk of heart-related complications.

Studies Show the Importance of Frequent Brushing

The results of a Korean study were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). During this study, researchers looked at data gathered from more than 160,000 people, whose ages ranged from 40 to 79. These individuals had national health coverage and had never experienced cardiovascular problems. After 10.5 years, the researchers conducted a follow-up and found that nearly 5,000 (3%) of the people developed AF and almost 8,000 (4.9%) of the people included in this study developed heart failure. Participants who took the time to brush their teeth three times every day reduced their risk of developing AF by 10 percent and of experiencing heart failure by 12 percent.

The Benefits of Frequent Brushing and Professional Cleanings

Individuals who get professional dental cleanings every six months also experienced a 7 percent decrease in the likelihood that he or she would experience heart failure. In addition, frequent brushing helps you keep your natural teeth, which is important when you consider that individuals who are missing a substantial number of teeth (22 or more) have a 32 percent higher risk of experiencing heart failure. In order to keep your natural teeth as long as possible, it is essential that you have regular cleanings and practice good oral hygiene.

How Poor Dental Care Affects the Heart

Neglecting to care for your teeth as recommended can lead to the development of periodontal disease, which causes inflammation and gums that bleed easily. Researchers believe that when an individual neglects to care for his or her teeth properly, as more and more bacteria build up in the mouth, the risk of this bacteria entering the bloodstream through abrasion or an opening in the gingival tissue (gums) increases.

Frequent tooth brushing reduces the number of bacteria present below the gum line and helps to prevent the development of periodontal disease, thus, reducing the likelihood that bacteria will enter the bloodstream. If the bacteria do enter the bloodstream, once it reaches the heart, the bacteria adhere to the heart valves, activating platelets, which is what leads to the development of a clot.

If you need professional cleaning and/or an exam, contact Tran Dental, Gentle Family Dentistry today at 210-674-3700 or by clicking here to fill out the online appointment request form.