PEAK TO PEAK - It is safe to say that most of us have been told to brush our teeth twice a day–once in the morning and once at night. We have also been told to floss whenever we can, after every meal is ideal, but at least once at night.

While it’s true that all those things help clean and protect our teeth, some people may still get cavities, even if they are doing all the right things. So why does that happen? 

The answer could be a lot of things. It could be the type of toothpaste, toothbrush, or flosser you are using. It could be the technique you use to clean your teeth. It could also be genetics, where a long family history of cavities may be at play.

Some things we cannot control and some we can. Improving the quality of the things we can control is what could make a positive difference in your oral health. 

A good rule of thumb to follow every day is that no matter how tired you are in the morning or at night, always do something to clean your teeth. Whether it’s just brushing them for 30 seconds and getting them all covered in toothpaste, or just flossing and rinsing them with mouthwash, do something so bacteria can’t keep growing. 

A little can go a long way, as long as it doesn’t become a habit. On other days, when you have the time and energy, you can clean your teeth to the maximum. 

The best place to start, during a nighttime routine, is flossing. While the little plastic flossers with the bit of dental thread are good for on-the-go flossing, a waterpik flosser could get the job done better.

Dental floss that you wrap around your fingers is also a good option, but that requires strenuous work to correctly clean your teeth. A waterpik can make that easier, because the pressure of the water can get in between your teeth as well as clean your gums. 

After flossing you can get to brushing. An electronic toothbrush is always a good choice of weapon, but it is not as budget friendly, so use whatever you have available. It’s important to take a while brushing your teeth and make sure to brush over the hard-to-reach areas. These include the teeth in the very back of your mouth and the backsides of all your teeth.

You can think of it in sections: The right and left sides of your mouth, the top and bottom, and the front of your teeth, the middle (the parts of your teeth with which you actually chew the food), and the back. As you are brushing take note of which section you’ve brushed and which you haven’t, and try to go over them more than once.

After brushing, remember not to eat or drink anything for at least 20 minutes so the fluoride in your toothpaste has time to get rid of the bacteria in your mouth. 

So remember to take care of your teeth and gums, because things like gum disease, caused by poor maintenance of teeth and gums, can lead to other health issues. Since the mouth is connected to the lungs through your respiratory tract, things like pneumonia and other respiratory diseases can become an issue.

Everything in our body is interconnected, so it is important to take care of it all. And though a toothache cannot cause an infection in your toe, it’s still important to work on good oral health for the sake of your chompers. 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/dental/art-20047475