Anonymous 3m 731 #covid19
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The profound social changes that have been necessary to put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected our everyday routines, and therefore our habits and health. In particular, dental hygiene habits can get affected, in some cases not always in a positive way. Fortunately, however, there are many ways to keep your teeth healthy and at the same time keep yourself grounded amid these challenging times.
1. Brush Twice a Day
One dentistry tip that can be helpful to implement during quarantine is to brush your teeth two times a day. This matters because leftover food particles from eating throughout the day can get left behind and can form plaques with bacteria in the mouth. While plaque formation is a normal process, it can be very damaging to the teeth in the long term and cause additional health concerns. Brushing two times a day removes more of the particles that eating leaves behind and can thus prevent plaques from forming. It can also prevent the formation of calcified plaques referred to as dental calculus or tartar, which causes stains to set in, teeth to become discolored, and removal of plaques and bacteria to become more difficult or even impossible without professional help from a Dentist in Palmdale, Ca or whatever area you are from. Lastly, brushing teeth twice a day can strengthen the gums that hold the teeth in place and prevent gum diseases like gingivitis by removing more of the plaques that form on them.
2. Invest in Flossing
Another useful quarantine dental tip is to floss. While this activity ranks low in priority in comparison to brushing at least once a day, which many people seldom do at all, let alone twice, doing so daily has great long-term benefits for dental and oral health. Not only that, but it is also an investment that requires a short amount of time to do properly. Flossing is important because while brushing can clean most of the surfaces of the teeth, it does not effectively reach the spaces in between the teeth, therefore enabling plaque and bacteria to build up there and cause teeth to decay and gums to become diseased. Dental floss is specifically designed to reach these areas and thus complements using a toothbrush for a more thorough cleaning. This also helps combat halitosis or bad breath by removing the odor-causing plaque and bacteria mentioned previously. Lastly, flossing, by removing much of the harmful particles between teeth and protecting the gums, prevents more serious health problems that occur when these particles travel from the mouth to the rest of the body, usually by way of infection. So in addition to just the teeth, the entire body benefits by flossing, making it a worthwhile investment.
3. Maintain Your Diet
The last quarantine dentistry tip to implement is to adhere to a healthy diet. Given that the mouth is the physical gateway for foods and beverages to enter the rest of the body, it’s no surprise that what we eat and drink will affect our dental and oral health and therefore our overall health. Constantly eating foods heavy in fats and drinking beverages heavy in sugars can have deleterious effects on the teeth. Favoring more natural foods like vegetables and fruits over processed or fast food and beverages like milk, tea, and water over coffee, soda, and alcohol can help lead to better dental health. Moderation is ideal when it comes to alcohol, where the ingredients of particular mixtures can vary in harmfulness to the teeth, and coffee, which can stain teeth yellow. Basically, the diet should be carefully monitored as it strongly affects the teeth. As they work to break down what we eat, eating certain foods that are easier to do so leads to better health for them and you.
Social distancing and quarantine have been challenging to adjust to. Nevertheless, maintaining good habits for your dental health can go a long way not only in maintaining your health but also providing a sense of routine and normalcy, which is essential for psychological well-being. Failing to cultivate good habits for cleaning your teeth and mouth can lead to increased feelings of isolation, disease, and damages that may be difficult and expensive to deal with. But by investing in and adhering to some good daily practices and habits, the effect can be tremendously positive for your quality of life.
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