Contents:
- Medical Video: Stop Smoking : How to Rebuild the Lungs After Quitting Smoking
- How to maintain dental and oral hygiene of smokers and former smokers
- 1. Regularly brush your teeth
- 2. Use a good quality toothbrush
- 3. Use dental floss (dental floss)
- 4. Gargle with mouthwash
- 5. Check dental health regularly
Medical Video: Stop Smoking : How to Rebuild the Lungs After Quitting Smoking
Smoking can cause teeth to turn yellow (even blackened), bad breath, and increase the risk of various dental and gum infections to oral cancer. The more and more you smoke, the more visible damage. However, improving the condition of the teeth and mouth of smokers who are already damaged is not impossible - even if you have stopped smoking. See how this works.
How to maintain dental and oral hygiene of smokers and former smokers
1. Regularly brush your teeth
Everyone is obliged to diligently brush their teeth. No exception for smokers and former smokers whose teeth and mouth have many problems because of the effects of tar and nicotine content in tobacco.
Smokers and former smokers must brush their teeth regularly at leasttwo to three times a day, namely in the morning, afternoon / evening, and at night before going to bed.
Also make sure you brush your teeth properly. Place the toothbrush feathers on the tooth surface near the edge of the gum with the position in a 45 degree angle. Starting from the part of the tooth that is usually used to chew, the teeth are close to the cheeks and tongue. Brush in a circular motion from top to bottom for about 20 seconds for each section.
2. Use a good quality toothbrush
In addition to diligently brushing teeth, smokers' teeth and mouth hygiene are also more or less influenced by the quality of the toothbrush used.
There are many types of toothbrushes on the market. For smokers and former smokers, choose a toothbrush that has soft and flexible bristles with an alternating brush pattern that can lift dental plaque effectively. Alternatively, choose a toothbrush that has a multilevel brush bristle pattern to reach areas of the tooth that are difficult to clean.
3. Use dental floss (dental floss)
Mouth smokers and former smokers are prone to haunted by various problems such as stained teeth, blackened gums, bad breath, to the risk of infection. So besides regular brushing, you also need to maintain gum health by using dental floss (dental floss) at least once a day, at night.
Flossing can help clean up leftovers that accumulate between teeth and are hard to reach by toothbrushes. If it continues to be left for a long time, plaque between teeth can increase the risk of infection of the gums. Plaques between teeth can also turn into tartar which is difficult to eradicate.
4. Gargle with mouthwash
Smoker's bad breath and sour mouth complaints that are often reported by ex-smokers can be expelled by gargling with mouthwash at least once a day.
There are many types of mouthwash available on the market, but make sure the product you choose contains antibacterial agents that can eradicate bacteria that cause bad breath and other problems that often occur in the mouth.
5. Check dental health regularly
Even though you routinely do all of the above, it doesn't mean you can skip routine dental control at the dentist. Damage that has already occurred cannot heal by itself. What exists, the damage can actually be more severe and painful if not immediately addressed. So, you need a dentist's help to deal with it.
Remind yourself to regularly check your teeth to the doctor every 6 months, or maybe more often if you have certain dental and gum problems.
