There are millions of bacteria living in your mouth. Good and bad bacteria are always interacting with each other and keeping each other in check. Many common oral health problems happen when this delicate balance is thrown off, giving bad bacteria a place to grow without being stopped. If you have more bad bacteria than good bacteria, it can hurt your oral health in a big way. Even though good bacteria help stop this from happening, bad oral hygiene makes it harder for good bacteria to fight back against the bad bacteria. Plaque buildup and loss of enamel are often caused by an imbalance in the microbiome of your mouth. This can lead to tooth decay, tooth loss, cavities, and even gum disease. How do you make sure that your mouth has enough good bacteria to balance out the bad bacteria? It is easier than you might think to keep your microbiome healthy. Check out the tips below if you want to help good bacteria grow. Tip 1: Brush and floss your teeth every day. You can't get rid of all the bacteria in your mouth, but you can make it hard for the bad bacteria to grow. Bad bacteria love to sneak in and make a home at the gum line, between your teeth and gums. This can cause periodontal disease. Bad bacteria will be kept in check and won't have a chance to grow if you brush and floss your teeth every day. Every day, you should brush your teeth twice (ideally after each meal) and floss at least once a day before you brush. Tip #2: Avoid sugary drinks' This is a tip that dentists and doctors love to give, and for good reason! Sugary drinks are a big reason why people get fat, get diabetes, and get heart disease. They are also a major cause of tooth decay. Because bad bacteria feed on sugar compounds and turn sugar into acid, this is what happens. If you don't have enough good bacteria to counteract the acid, you could lose enamel, get cavities, or have your teeth decay. Avoiding sugary drinks will help good bacteria grow and keep bad bacteria from taking over (and the negative side effects that come along with them). Tip #3: Avoid acidic drink's Acidic drinks have the same effect as sugary drinks: they make bad bacteria grow and make the good bacteria work harder. Harmful bacteria thrive in environments that are high in sugar and acid, which throws off the balance of your microbiome. You don't have to give up your morning coffee, but you should limit how much you drink and make sure to brush your teeth and drink water regularly to fight the bacteria. 4. Drink a lot of waters Water is a great way to keep your mouth moist, clean, and refreshed. It washes away bits of food, which takes away places where bad bacteria could grow. People who have trouble making saliva should drink more water because saliva is important for getting rid of food particles and keeping moist bacteria in the mouth. If your mouth isn't getting enough water, bad bacteria will have more chances to grow and throw off the balance between good and bad bacteria. Tip #5: Quit smoking If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times: smoking is bad for your oral health and your health in general. Research shows that nicotine makes it harder for your body to fight the bacteria that cause inflammation in your mouth. This is one of the main reasons why smokers are more likely to get gum disease. In our mouths, there is a balance of good and bad bacteria. Even though we can't get rid of that bacterium for good, we can make it harder for it to grow! The key to good oral health is to make sure that the scales don't tip toward harmful bacteria in the mouth. Brush and floss, drink water, and avoid sugary and acidic foods to keep your teeth and gums healthy for years to come.
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June 2023
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