A healthy smile is an important part of how you look and how you feel. Properly caring for your teeth and gums each day is an essential part of maintaining a healthy smile. Neglecting daily routines related to caring for your teeth and gums can lead to serious consequences such as discolored teeth, decay, gum disease, and tooth loss. Beyond the negative consequences in your mouth, getting behind on proper oral care can also lead to issues with your overall health. The small daily tasks of brushing, flossing, and eating a healthy diet will go a long way toward helping you maintain and healthy smile and a healthy body.

Brushing

Brushing is a foundational task when it comes to maintaining a healthy smile. When you brush, it removes food particles and bacteria from your mouth. Removing food particles and bacteria can help protect you from decay and plaque buildup. Preventing plaque from building up also minimizes your chances of developing tartar. Tartar can lead to decay and gum disease so it is something you need to avoid if you want to maintain a healthy smile. Brushing regularly and properly can also help minimize surface stains and keep your teeth looking white. The general recommendation for brushing is twice per day for at least two minutes each time. If you can keep up with daily routine of brushing it will go a long way toward helping you maintain a healthy smile.

Flossing

Flossing daily will help you maintain a healthy smile by getting to areas of your mouth that brushing simply cannot reach. The space between your teeth is unreachable with your tooth brush. Flossing can get to food particles and bacteria between your teeth as well as to the gumline between your teeth. Skipping out on flossing leaves your gums vulnerable to disease and your teeth susceptible to decay. Flossing is a daily oral care habit that is easy to skip because it only has to happen once per day. A tip for making flossing more likely to happen is to do it twice per day – every time you brush. To develop and maintain a truly healthy smile, you need to make flossing a part of your daily routine.

Eating a healthy diet

Your diet can impact the health of both your teeth and gums. Getting the nutrients you need are essential to keeping your teeth strong. Avoiding a lot of junk can help protect your teeth from surface stains and decay. Being healthy overall can make it easier for you to fight off infections and keep your gums healthy. The process of making good food choices on a daily basis can help you maintain a healthy smile.

The daily steps for maintaining a healthy smile are not complicated – brush, floss, and make good eating choices. Another important element of maintaining a healthy smile is going to twice yearly routine dental appointments. If you are consistent with these tasks you will be doing all you can to maintain a healthy smile.