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If you think about your health, no matter whether you talk about your oral health, your diet, or general fitness, it does all come down to habitual behavior, whether good or bad.

Many people out there might have bad habits but perhaps aren’t aware that they could have an impact on their oral health. So, for the Oral Health Foundation, I’ve compiled a list of the top five bad habits that you need to kick and five habits to replace them with.

Don’t snack all day!

This is a habit that a lot of us are guilty of. You’re busy all day, running around like a mad person trying to get all your errands for the day done, and instead of sitting down and having a few proper meals each day, you end up having loads of snacks. I’d bet they aren’t all healthy either! Anything with sugar in it like biscuits or sweets can cause tooth decay, even more so if it’s habitual and you do it most days.

Generally, it’s much better for your oral health and general health if you eat three meals a day instead of snacking but if you’re desperate for a quick bite between mealtimes, then try to stick to the savory side. Cheese, raw vegetables, and breadsticks are just a few examples! And snack no more than twice a day.

Do chew sugar-free gum

This one’s for you serial snackers out there. Chewing sugar-free gum can be a great way of keeping your mouth busy and keeping your mind off of harmful snacks that can wreak havoc on your teeth.

In addition, after you’ve eaten a meal, sugar-free gum can reduce the acid attack which follows and help your teeth remineralize. It helps the mouth produce more saliva, which, is the mouth’s natural defense against acid. So, keep some around at your desk, in your car, or your bag and chew between meal times and take care of your oral health while you’re on the go.

Don’t drink fizzy drinks

Believe it or not, this is a habit that can have a detrimental effect on your oral health for two big reasons. Not only can they cause tooth erosion, because of their acidity, but they often also contain heaps of sugar, which is known to cause decay.

Even if you just have one bottle or one can a day, it can do huge damage. It takes about an hour for your teeth to remineralize and recover after coming into contact with acid and sugar, no matter how little or long the contact time is. So, think about sipping one bottle of fizzy drink throughout a working day. Your teeth would never get a break! A habit to ditch for sure!

Do drink water

Plain and simple – water is king. Not only do our bodies need water to work properly and avoid dehydration but it is also the best choice of drink you can have when it comes to your teeth.

Water isn’t acidic. Water isn’t sugary. Water isn’t harmful to your teeth in any way. So, try to go for a drink of water especially if you like to have something to sip on throughout the day.

Don’t rinse your mouth out after you spit

This is perhaps one of the less obvious ones. It’s not a case that you harm your teeth by rinsing them out with water after brushing. It’s more that you’re taking away something that could make them stronger.

Fluoride can be a great help to your dental health because it strengthens the tooth enamel, making it more resistant to tooth decay. It’s a natural mineral and is found in many foods and water supplies but because of how good it is for your teeth, it’s also in many kinds of toothpaste. But when you rinse your mouth out after brushing you wash away the fluoride that could be giving protection to your teeth long after you’ve finished brushing. Ditch the rinse and let the fluoride work – it’s dental magic!

 Do clean in between your teeth

Did you know that your toothbrush can only clean around 60% of your teeth’ surfaces? This is because toothbrushes aren’t currently equipped to clean the spaces in-between teeth. They simply cannot reach. And guess where most tooth decay and gum disease begin…

Whether you prefer to use floss or interdental brushes, it’s so important to make sure you don’t neglect those tight spaces between your teeth. At least once a day, try and make cleaning those spaces routine.

 Don’t brush straight after eating

Now I know that I’m not the only one that’s been guilty of this in the past! Brushing straight after you’ve eaten or even drunk something. While it might make sense to do it, especially if you’re in a rush to go to bed, it’s not something you should be doing at all.

The reason being is when you eat or drink something, especially if it’s acidic or sugary, it weakens the top surface of your teeth (enamel). Brushing straight away can cause particles of enamel to be brushed away, which after time can leave your teeth sensitive and painful. You’ve got to wait that hour for your teeth to remineralize before you take a brush to them.

Do be Mouth-aware

Bit of a solemn one here but still very important. A lot of us try to ignore some problems when they arise and hope they go away but your mouth is most certainly an area you should not be taking any risks with.

Mouth cancer is a potentially deadly disease that can affect any one of us. The key to surviving is early detection and diagnosis. Any unusual changes you spot in or around your mouth whether it be ulcers that don’t heal, white or red patches, a lump, or a bump should prompt you to visit a dentist or doctor as soon as possible.

If in doubt, get checked out! Be proactive and make an appointment with your dentist or doctor.

Don’t use your mouth to open things

This one needs a little explanation. Whether it’s a bottle, a packet, or a tough nut, the bottom line is, your teeth are not tools!

The same goes for chewing pens, pencils, or even fingernails. All these things have the potential to weaken, chip, or even crack your teeth. When you’re sitting in the dental chair about to fork out hundreds for treatment, you’ll wish you just used the bottle opener for the purpose you bought it for!

Do attend your appointments!

Last but by no means least. Your dental team will be able to tell you how often you should be visiting and it’s likely to vary from person to person. For some, it may be once every three months. Others, once every six or even twelve or eighteen.

The important thing is to make sure you visit regularly, as often as they recommend, and not just when you have a problem that needs fixing. Dentists may also be able to spot problems early and tackle them before they become serious issues. Not to mention that as part of every check-up your dentist will carry out a visual examination on you to look for the early signs of mouth cancer. Put simply, a trip to the dentist could save your life.

https://www.dentalhealth.org/blog/oral-health-habits-for-life-five-out-and-five-in

Many medications—both those prescribed by your doctor and the ones you buy on your own—affect your oral health.

A common side effect of medications is dry mouth. Saliva helps keep food from collecting around your teeth and neutralizes the acids produced by plaque. These acids have the potential to harm the hard surfaces of your teeth. A dry mouth increases your risk for tooth decay. Your soft oral tissues—gums, cheek lining, tongue—can be affected by medications as well. For example, people with breathing problems often use inhalers. Inhaling medication through your mouth can cause a fungal infection called oral candidiasis. Sometimes called thrush, this infection appears as white spots in your mouth and can be painful. Rinsing your mouth after using your inhaler may prevent this infection.

Cancer treatments might also have an impact on dental health. If at all feasible, consult with your dentist before initiating therapy. The dentist can ensure that your mouth is healthy and, if necessary, can prescribe treatments to help you maintain good oral health. Your dentist also is interested in the medications you are taking because many can affect your dental treatments. Your dentist may want to speak with your physician when planning your treatment. Rare but serious jaw problems also can occur in people who’ve received bone-strengthening drugs to treat cancer and, to a lesser extent, osteoporosis.

These are just a few instances of how medications might have an impact on your dental health. Your dentist must be aware of any medications you are taking in order to give you the finest dental treatment possible. Tell your dentist about your medication use and your overall health, especially if you have had any recent illnesses or have any chronic conditions. Provide a health history including both prescription and over-the-counter products. Always let your dentist know when there are changes in your health or medication use.

Be sure to talk with your dentist about how to properly secure and dispose of any unused, unwanted, or expired medications, especially if there are any children in the household. Also, take the time to talk with your children about the dangers of using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.

https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/m/medications-and-oral-health

Methamphetamine (meth) is a dangerously addictive drug that can have severe health consequences, including stroke and permanent brain damage. It’s also devastating to your dental health, according to a December 2015 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in The Journal of the American Dental Association.

“Meth mouth” is characterized by severe tooth decay and gum disease, which often causes teeth to break or fall out. An examination of the mouths of 571 methamphetamine users showed:

• 96% had cavities
• 58% had untreated tooth decay
• 31% had six or more missing teeth

The teeth of people addicted to methamphetamines are characterized by being blackened, stained, rotting, crumbling, and falling apart. Often, the teeth cannot be salvaged and must be removed. The extensive tooth decay is likely caused by a combination of drug-induced psychological and physiological changes resulting in dry mouth and long periods of poor oral hygiene. Methamphetamine itself is also acidic.

The study found that the more meth a person used, the worse their tooth decay was. Meth users who were 30 years of age or older, women, or cigarette smokers were more likely to have tooth decay and gum disease.

Meth – also known as speed, ice, glass, and crystal – can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken in pill form and is highly addictive. The high (which causes the brain to feel intense pleasure) can last up to 12 hours. This can lead to long periods of poor dental hygiene. While high, users often crave high-calorie, carbonated, sugary beverages. In addition, they may grind or clench their teeth, all of which can harm teeth.

In the short term, meth can cause shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, hyperactivity, decreased appetite, tremors, and trouble breathing. Over time, meth can cause irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, stroke, violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions. It can also have a long-term negative impact on one’s capacity to learn.

If you or someone you love are struggling with meth addiction, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or find treatment online.

https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/m/meth-mouth

Have you ever had a spot inside your mouth, perhaps on the inside of your cheek or tongue, that was painful and white? Most likely, this was a canker sore.

For some people, it can be difficult to get rid of canker sores quickly and naturally.

Here are some easy-to-apply solutions that anyone can use to help quickly get rid of canker sores.

Canker sores also called aphthous ulcers, are small, shallow sores on the inside of the mouth. They appear most commonly on the inner cheek, the tongue surface, and even the gum tissue.

These painful open sores tend to have a reddish inflamed ring around the sensitive white inner surface.

To understand how to naturally get rid of canker sores, it’s helpful to first briefly discuss the circumstances that provoke their creation. That way, we can try to avoid them going forward.

Western medicine hasn’t discovered the root cause of canker sores yet. However, it has identified several contributing factors that can increase the risk of developing these pesky sores.

Main triggers…

The main triggers for canker sores include:

• Nutrient deficiency
• Stress
• Acidic foods
• Trauma to cheek from biting it, braces, or ill-fitting dentures
• Food intolerances or allergies
• Gut malabsorption issues
• Poor oral hygiene 

As you can see, canker sores show up when the body is under some form of stress, whether that’s psychological, nutritional, or physical trauma.

What can be done to get rid of canker sores quickly? 

Navigating the path to optimal oral health often involves applying strategies both ‘in the mouth’ and the form of ‘whole body immune support’.

Getting rid of canker sores is no different.

Below you’ll find several ‘in the mouth’ and system-wide strategies to help you along your path.

We start with some simpler strategies. If you want to ‘step up your game’ when it comes to addressing and preventing canker sores (or if you’re motivated by some serious pain from recurring flare-ups) you may want to try some of the later ideas as well.

1. Keep your mouth clean. 

Health-giving oral hygiene is about balancing our oral flora and keeping the mouth clean, but not sterile.

The goal isn’t to create a ‘scorched earth’ effect and eradicate all microbes in the mouth (after all, some of them help to support our health!).

Instead, we’re trying to use oral hygiene products and strategies that help reduce the risk of ‘thug bugs’ colonizing in the mouth. Why? These thug bugs are implicated with issues like tooth decay and gum disease, and they also encourage an acidic oral pH, which slows the healing of canker sores.

Learning how to brush your teeth, floss consciously, and clean your tongue are all excellent strategies to reduce the thug bug numbers and support optimal oral health.

It’s also important to only use products with ingredients that are designed to help support, heal, and soothe (without any fillers, coloring, or other junk that might wind up irritating the mouth and/or body).

Another (ancient) strategy that helps maintain a clean mouth and encourages a balanced oral pH is oil pulling. We dedicated an entire article to this oral hygiene strategy that has stood the test of time: How oil pulling helps improve oral health and whole-body wellness.

If you’d like to take a deeper dive on oil pulling, when you should or shouldn’t do it, and how to do it properly, we invite you to download our FREE Ultimate Oil Pulling Guidebook here.

2.  Eat consciously. 

If you have a particular spot where you tend to regularly chomp on your cheek (which can easily become a canker sore afterward), be sure you increase your awareness while chewing.

Eating while reading or while watching TV are common ways to increase your risk of accidentally biting your cheek (or tongue–OUCH).

Once the tissue is traumatized by a chomp, the risk of developing a canker sore in that area goes up substantially.

3. Reduce acidic foods. 

Speaking of eating, reducing acidic foods can help create a more balanced oral pH, which can help canker sores to heal.

I have to be conscious when a plate of ripe pineapple is in the house, as I’ve found that if I eat more than a few chunks, my risk of canker sores goes way up.

If you like to consume naturally acidic foods for their alkalinizing benefit in the body, we invite you to check out our article on how to drink kombucha and not destroy your teeth. In it, we share tips for how to benefit from naturally acidic foods (like lemon water or apple cider vinegar) without creating damage in the mouth.

4. Cut your sugar intake WAY back.

Sugar consumption can play a role in canker sores and a bunch of other whole-body issues. It contributes to nutritional deficiency, raises stress by increasing blood sugar fluctuation, causes the mouth pH to be acidic, and directly undermines our body’s ability to heal itself.

This is especially the case when it comes to sweet, between-meal snacks (and beverages!)–they spike your blood sugar and suppress our hunger sensations for real nourishment (which, over time, makes us more nutritionally deficient).

If you have to pick just one action from this list, cut the sweets.

5. Eliminate wheat and other gluten-containing foods from your diet. 

Researchers have found a very interesting correlation between semi-regular canker sores, IBD (irritable bowel disorder), and celiac disease.

A canker sore is an ulcer in the mouth, and the mouth is the start of the digestive tract.

So, it makes sense that if you are sensitive to gluten (as is the case for people with either IBD or celiac), then canker sores in the mouth might be a sign of what’s happening ‘downstream’ in the small intestine.

Wrapping up…

If you get canker sores fairly regularly, take note of the triggers that seem to stress your system.

Once you identify foods or other potential imbalance-causing stimuli, you can avoid these triggers and help prevent painful canker sores from erupting again.

https://orawellness.com/how-to-get-rid-of-canker-sores-naturally/