Know Your Mouth and How to Protect it

Your mouth and teeth are exposed too many harmful bacteria and plaque. While it may not seem so, the health of your mouth affects your overall health and wellness. Here’s how you can ensure you have a healthy mouth.

First off you need to understand how your mouth is protected and what you can do to help it out. Saliva is one of your body’s main defenses against bacteria and diseases. Your body produces saliva when you eat or just think about eating. This happens because it is getting ready to help your mouth break down food you chew and sweep away anything that gets stuck in your teeth. If you begin to have a dry mouth, you may want to consider chewing sugarless gum, as that increases salivation and will help remove any floating food inside of your mouth.

It’s recommended to brush your teeth twice a day, and some people feel that they don’t need to do that. The main reason that dentists recommend doing this on a daily basis is because it helps provide a clean slate for your body to work with each day. Brushing your teeth in the morning enhances your oral system activity and increases salivation at the beginning of the day, while brushing your teeth at night helps clean out your mouth while you sleep.

If you have a missing tooth, several things can begin to happen to your body. Having that missing tooth allows bacteria to grow on top of your gum, becoming a breeding ground to slowly infect your body. A missing tooth can also result in your remaining teeth trying to close the gap themselves by shifting in place and trying to cover as much surface area as they can. Due to these problems, you can begin to feel pain in your mouth, and by the time you see a dentist, you can very well have a case of gum disease. To prevent this when you lose a tooth, consider getting a dental implant. Atlantic Dental is a great source for dental implant information and procedure, and can help you out when you are in need of a new tooth. Call or schedule an appointment online today to learn more about how dental implants can help out your oral health.