Your commitment to oral hygiene will affect your smile as well as your overall health. Brushing regularly is a good start to a lifetime of healthy teeth, but dentists stress that brushing isn’t the only step toward a beautiful, healthy smile.

Nizich Family Dental in Juneau, AK, makes caring for patients their top priority. Issues such as tooth decay and gum disease can’t always be stopped by brushing alone, but their team of family dentistry experts has a few tips to keep your teeth looking their best.

3 Dentist-Recommended Oral Hygiene Tips

1. Flossing

Flossing adds a few seconds onto your daily teeth cleaning routine, but when you do it regularly, that’s time well spent. Toothbrushes can’t reach between teeth to get every ounce of plaque. Flossing is the only way to reach deep between teeth and remove bacteria that leads to tooth decay.

2. Be Careful With Beverages

Soda, wine, and other kinds of alcohol contain high levels of phosphorous. In natural doses, phosphorous is an important mineral used to keep your mouth healthy, but too much can have serious consequences. Drinking a lot of phosphorous-filled drinks will reduce the amount of calcium in your body. Without calcium, your teeth will be weakened, and you’ll be more susceptible to gum disease. The corn syrup and food dye found in soda and alcohol are also bad for your teeth.

3. Take Care of Your Tongue

It’s a common misconception that oral hygiene is all about your teeth. The bacteria that clings to your teeth to cause tooth decay also gets stuck on your tongue. It causes bad breath and other dental health issues. Choose a toothbrush equipped with a tongue cleaner, and use it every day while you brush your teeth.

With the right routine and commitment, keeping up with oral hygiene will be easy. The best thing you can do to protect your smile is to visit your dentist on a regular basis. Schedule an appointment with Nizich Family Dental by calling (907) 789-7001 and visit their website for more information.