Oral Health:
What is Oral Health?
- Oral health is the health of your teeth, gums, lips, tongue and tissue inside your mouth
Why is Oral Health Important?
- Taking good care of your teeth and gums are very important because without your teeth you could not chew food, talk or smile the same.
- If you do not take good care of your teeth and gums your teeth can fall out. How will you eat food if you have no teeth?
- If you do not take care of your teeth and gums it can lead to very painful problems and serious infections!
- If you don’t take care of your teeth, they can become yellow, rotten, cracked, and broken and fall out.
How Should I Take Care of My Teeth?
Go To the Dentist
- You should go to the dentist every 6 months or at least once a year!
- If you do not have a dentist then you should find one right away
- Did you know that you can get cancer in your mouth? If you go to the dentist, he/she can find the cancer and maybe save your life!
- When you look in your own mouth you can’t see everything. The dentist has special tools for looking inside your mouth.
Brush and Floss Your Teeth Everyday
- You should brush your teeth 2 times everyday. One time in the morning, and one time at night before bed.
- Brush teeth with a soft brush.
- Brush gently with circular strokes
- Avoid harsh back and forth brushing
- Be sure you brush ALL of your teeth and your tongue
- Some light bleeding may be normal if you have a brand new toothbrush, but if you see blood everyday then call your dentist!
- You should floss your teeth 1 time everyday.
- Floss gently and slowly slide the floss between your teeth.
- Do not force floss between your teeth or else it will hurt and could bleed.
- If you are new to flossing you may see blood. If you see blood everyday you need to call your dentist!
Eat Healthy Food and Avoid Too Much Sugar
- Did you know that sugar can rot your teeth? When sugar, such as soda or candy, mixes with the saliva in your mouth, it starts to destroy your teeth!
- Too much sugar can lead to cavities!
- Brush your teeth after eating sugary food, but be careful not to brush your teeth too much or else you can hurt your gums!
- Eat a well balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables whole grains, dairy etc.
- Avoid dark foods that can stain your teeth such as coffee and grape juice.
Stop Smoking Now
- Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your health
- It causes yellow teeth and bad breath
- Aside from stinking and looking bad, smoking also causes cancer
- As you know, smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer but you can also get cancer in your mouth, your tongue, lips or cheeks.
- Smoking also makes your teeth weak and can fall out
When Should I see A Dentist?
- You should see a dentist every 6 months. If you cannot go every 6 months then at least once a year.
- If you have a small problem in your mouth and do not take care of it, it can become very serious, cause a lot of pain and be very expensive!
- If you have tooth ache you should go to the dentist
- If you have red, swollen, painful or bloody gums you should call your dentist
- If you notice a strange spot in your mouth, such as a brown spot on your cheek or tongue, you should call your dentist.
- If you think you see a cavity, a cracked or broken tooth or have any pain you should go see a dentist.
- Remember, don’t wait until you have pain to go to the dentist, if you see a dentist every 6 months you can prevent many painful problems!
If you do not have a dentist,
Project HOPE at DEAF Inc can help you find one!
American Dental Association: http://www.ada.org/public/topics/alpha.asp
American Dental Hygienists’ Association: http://www.adha.org/oralhealth
Simple Steps to Better Dental Health: http://www.simplestepsdental.com
A Healthy Me: http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/dentalcenter
