How Does Smoking Affect My Dental Health?

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You may have heard that smoking and using tobacco products can negatively affect your oral health. It’s true! Smoking can harm your teeth, gums, and the other tissues in your mouth. Your dentist in Peoria, IL, can answer your questions about the impact of smoking on your teeth. It’s important to have this information so you can take good care of your oral health. Here’s what you need to know.

What Smoking Does To Your Oral Health

Smoking can impact your oral health in many ways.

  • Gum disease and gum recession: Smoking makes it harder to recover from gum disease, and can contribute to gum recession, which can lead to tooth sensitivity, deterioration of the jaw, loose teeth, and more.
  • Increased risk of mouth cancer: Smoking puts patients at increased risk for oral cancer.
  • Longer healing time following oral procedures and surgeries: People who smoke often have longer healing times following procedures like dental implant installation. This can put them at risk of having a failed implant attempt.

What You Can Do to Protect Your Oral Health

There are many things you can do to protect your oral health. Here’s what you need to know.

Change Your Habits

The best thing you can do for your teeth and gums is to stop smoking and using tobacco products. Talk to your doctor for smoking cessation suggestions.

Get Checked for Oral Cancer

Oral cancers often go undetected in patients until they’ve already spread. Your dentist can check you for oral cancer.

See the Dentist Regularly

See your dentist every six months to get your teeth cleaned. Seeing the dentist will help prevent buildup of plaque around your teeth, which can prevent problems like gum disease.

Maintain a Good Oral Hygiene Regimen

Brush your teeth twice every day. If possible, use an electric toothbrush recommended by your dentist. Floss your teeth once each day. Stay hydrated and eat a diet low in sugar.

Warning Signs to Watch For

It’s important to watch for warning signs of oral problems like receding gums, bad breath that won’t go away, and sores that won’t heal in your mouth. If you’re noticing warning signs of a problem, contact your dentist for a dental checkup in Peoria IL. Call today.

Mother and Daughter Brushing Teeth

6 Teeth Cleaning Tips to Improve Your Oral Hygiene

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Cleaning your teeth is the single most important thing you can do to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Cleaning your teeth is something you can do in many ways. Your dentist in Peoria, IL, can give helpful tips to make your teeth-cleaning experience more productive and fruitful. Below, we’ve listed several teeth-cleaning tips to help improve your oral hygiene. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Brush for 2 Minutes Each Time

If you brush your teeth for too long, you can damage your gums and tooth enamel. If the time you spend brushing your teeth is too short, you may not get your teeth clean enough. Two minutes is believed to be the length of time you should spend brushing your teeth.

You can ensure you brush your teeth for long enough by using a timer. Set a timer on your phone, use a sand timer, or use an electric toothbrush that times your brushing.

2. Floss Every Night

Floss your teeth once per day, at night, before going to bed. Flossing helps remove food particles and bacteria from the space between your teeth. Have your dentist show you how to brush your teeth.

3. Use an Electric Toothbrush

Using an electric toothbrush can help keep your teeth clean. Electric toothbrushes have been shown to clean teeth better than manual toothbrushes. Your dentist can recommend an electric toothbrush brand the next time you go to the dentist.

4. Apply Gentle Pressure

You don’t need to scrub your teeth hard when you’re brushing. Apply gentle pressure to your teeth to get rid of the food and bacteria on your tooth enamel.

5. Get a Tutorial From Your Dentist

Your dentist can show you how to brush your teeth. Ask your dentist for a tutorial on toothbrushing the next time you go to the dentist.

6. See the Dentist Every Six Months

Unless your dentist recommends otherwise, see the dentist every six months to get your teeth cleaned in Peoria, IL. During teeth cleaning, the dentist will remove plaque and tartar to help keep your teeth and gums healthy.