Spring Clean Your Oral Hygiene: A Step-by-Step Guide

In an age where our faces are more visible than ever through social media, remote meetings, and video calls, it’s hard to avoid showing your face if you don’t want people to see your teeth. Dental problems can cause a lack of confidence due to a negative self-image, which happens in people at an increasingly younger age, and causes anxiety and depression.

Oral health issues can occur for a variety of reasons and often result in changes to your teeth that you feel the need to hide. If you want to spend more time in the sun during spring and summer and feel better about your smile, improving your oral hygiene can make a big difference. 

Dr. Adam Nusblatt and the Nusblatt Dental medical team can help the residents of East Village, Manhattan, New York, with many oral diseases and other issues that affect the appearance of their teeth.

Common oral diseases and their effects

Problems with tooth discoloration, malocclusion (misaligned teeth), and cracks and chips are often signs that patients want to keep hidden from others. These frequently stem from problems like:

Tooth decay

Also known as dental caries or cavities, decay results from the build-up of plaque and tartar on teeth, which erodes enamel and damages the layers beneath it. It causes many signs, including tooth discoloration, tooth sensitivity, cracks, chips, and, over time, tooth loss.

Periodontal disease

This condition starts out in milder forms like gingivitis, where poor oral health can cause gum inflammation, bleeding, recession, and high levels of tartar and plaque build-up. It can lead to other unpleasant problems, such as halitosis (bad breath) and tooth loosening.

Causes of oral disease

A combination of poor dental hygiene and poor eating habits often causes these and other oral problems. Either not taking the time to brush, floss, and rinse daily, or forgetting it altogether, gives harmful bacteria and the acidic properties of the sweet and starchy foods you ingest time to wear down your enamel and cause a lot of problems.

Both smoking and alcohol abuse also make your dental health worse. Smoking causes dry mouth by reducing saliva production, and alcohol alters the bacterial environment, making it easier for harmful bacteria to damage teeth and gums.

Helpful tips to improve your teeth

To improve how your teeth look and feel, some basic changes to your routine can make a big difference:

• Brushing and flossing: brush teeth twice and floss at least once a day to remove plaque and tartar

• Use fluoride toothpaste: brush with fluoride to strengthen teeth while cleaning them

• Stay hydrated: drink plenty of water to help clean the mouth of harmful bacteria and particles between teeth

• Use mouthwash: use after meals, but not right after brushing

• Dietary changes: lower the amount of sugar and foods that cause cavities

• Routine check-ups: visit us as needed, but generally once or twice annually

All of these tips can help keep your breath smelling better, your teeth looking brighter, and you feeling better about sharing the results with the rest of the world. For more tips or procedures to help your teeth, schedule an appointment with Dr. Nusblatt and Nusblatt Dental today.