Oral Hygiene will help you keep your teeth longer, says a Weybridge dentist

A good Oral Hygiene habit is important in preventative dentistry, says a Weybridge dentist. The problem is that most people don`t realise that more damage is done while we sleep and while we are at work. The damage I`m talking about is the production of acid in the mouth that causes infections and tooth erosion. At night our saliva gland stops working when we sleep, this allows the bacteria to produce massive amounts of acid that erode the teeth and gums. We need to keep water by the side of the bed to sip through the night when we awaken for those brief few seconds, just keeping the mouth moist will help to neutralise the acid. The other problem is flossing, we never do enough of it and this gives the bacteria food to live off and help produce tartar and that destructive acid. During the day it is the same, if you eat a chocolate bar, sandwich or fast food meal then you will be leaving debris in your mouth. This gets in between the teeth and feeds the bacteria. That acid may not burn your mouth, but it is eroding away your gums and tooth enamel just the same, again swigging water and keeping and using a floss stick will help enormously. We all floss in the morning and that is good, if only we could also get into that same habit during the day that would go a long way to helping us keep our teeth longer.