Get to know your mouth!  Here are things to look for on a regular basis:

Here are some tips you can do at home to prevent for better oral health:

1. Brush your teeth, using a soft toothbrush, at least twice a day for about 2 minutes to remove plaque.

-make sure to brush all sides of your teeth
-point the bristles towards your gums
-wiggle the toothbrush up and down gently starting at gums moving down
-you can’t forget to brush your tongue!
2.  Try to use oral products and eat foods that have fluoride. Fluoride makes the teeth stronger and can prevent or reverse tooth decay. (Foods such as: fresh fruits and vegetables, tea, and even tap water)

3. Flossing at least once a day is essential!  Plaque doesn’t like to leave the mouth, so you have to work hard to get it out!  When you brush, there is plaque still stuck between the teeth, and sadly the toothbrush just doesn’t get it.   So at least before going to bed, make sure you have some floss next to you at all times, and get flossing!



-use about 40-50 cm of dental floss
-using middle fingers, wrap the ends of the floss on both fingers, leaving 2-3 cm of floss between the two fingers
-use both your thumbs and index fingers to hold the floss in place
-wrap the floss around the tooth
-slide the floss between the tooth towards the gums gently, and move the floss up and down
-repeat steps for each tooth. Shift the floss over to get new floss for each tooth

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/pubs/oral-bucco/2009-smile-sourire/index-eng.php#a2
http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/cfyt/dental_care/flossing_brushing.asp

Oh how we hate that sharp pain when we have something a little too hot, a little too cold, or a little too sweet, you get close to the mirror and see a small brownish or black spot on your tooth.  Once that happens, yup, it’s most likely what you think… a cavity!
Cavities are caused by the sugars in the food we eat, mixed with the bacteria in our mouths which produce an acid which slowly eats away at the enamel (the outer layer of our teeth).
Though it’s most common to happen to children cause of their love for candies and lack of brushing, adults aren’t too far from getting a few cavities here and there!   As an adult, we are prone to getting two types of cavities:

1. A “recurrent” cavity, which is a cavity that forms around a filling (a tooth that has previously been fixed by your dentist, which has been filled to replace the cavity).  This is due to the fact that the fillings, as well done as they are, are not as smooth as our natural teeth.  What happens as a result of that is bits of food and bacteria get caught between the edges of the filling, causing cavities to form.  Broken or chipped fillings that expose teeth may cause a cavity as well.

1. “Root” cavities, which are cavities starting from the root of the tooth.  This could be caused by years of brushing too hard which slowly reduce the gums coverage or moving the gums far from the tooth.  When this happens to the gums, it allows the tooth’s root to be exposed, and due to the soft outer layer of the roots, it is more likely to get cavities.

Make sure you do not leave chipped or broken fillings alone, make an appointment with your dentist, and suggest they replace the fillings.  It is important to have it checked by your dentist, because if the cavity grows, more of the tooth will need to be cleaned, therefore making the tooth thinner, and may need to be replaced with an artificial tooth.

http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/complications/diseases/cavities.asp

How hard is it to maintain your oral health!? Not that hard actually, it’s just a matter of making very few adjustments in your daily life that won’t feel like a burden once you get into the habit.
What is oral health anyway?  Oral health refers to the health of your teeth and mouth.  There are very simple things you can do to assure that you are doing your mouth a favor simply by following these 5 simple steps:

1. Visit your dentist regularly to assure you follow up with your cleaning and checkups. Your dentist will look for signs of oral health problems, such as gum disease or oral cancer
2. Brush and floss daily. A healthy mouth means a healthy body.
3. Eat a healthy diet: good bye snacking and sodas! Avoid sugar and high acidic foods.
4. Try to reduce or quit smoking and/or tobacco products
5. Check your mouth on a regular basis.  Make sure to check for signs of oral cancer.  These sings include:
   -unexplained bleeding in the mouth
   -open sores that take long to heal (7-10 days)
   -red or white patches
   -small lumps and thickening on the sides or bottom of the tongue, the top or bottom of your mouth, and inside your cheeks or gums. If you are diabetic, you are likely to be more susceptible to gum disease therefore regular checkups are necessary.

http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/cfyt/good_for_life/