At a young age, we learn that the human body consists primarily of water. And therefore, we need to drink plenty of water in order to stay healthy. This proves true for your oral health as well.
Dentists and medical experts agree that you should drink at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water every day in order to maintain adequate levels of hydration. This will prove easier to do if you know the advantages this habit can provide. Read on to find three of the many oral health benefits that staying hydrated can give your smile.
How Does Drinking Water Help Your Smile?
Enhance Oral Hygiene
The natural bacteria in your mouth form a film of plaque over your teeth throughout the day. Plaque can eat away at your enamel, the outer layer of the teeth, leaving your smile vulnerable to many dental dangers. We brush our teeth and floss regularly to remove this plaque before it can hurt our smiles.
But we also consume substances that contribute to plaque development in between our oral hygiene regimens. You can drink a glass of water during the day, especially after a meal, in order to rinse lingering particles and residues from your smile. This gives your oral hygiene a boost and keeps your teeth safer.
Drinking water can also help you avoid bad breath. It gets rid of food particles that could decay and generate a foul odor if they remain in your smile and react with your saliva. Ensure your mouth feels fresh by staying hydrated.
Prevent Periodontal Concerns
If you do not drink enough water and become dehydrated, you may produce less saliva in the mouth. You may then notice an uncomfortably arid sensation called dry mouth. Not only does this feel unpleasant, but it poses a risk to your oral health.
The dry environment allows bacteria to travel with ease across your teeth, heightening your risk for oral infections like gum disease. Inflamed gums that accompany this infection will advance without treatment from your dentist. This could leave you with irreversible dental damage, including tooth loss.
Prevent this dental damage by lowering the chances of contracting this type of infection. Drink plenty of water to protect your periodontal health.
Strengthen Your Teeth
Drinking tap water can prove to be a good source of fluoride for your teeth. This naturally occurring mineral will absorb into your smile, strengthening the enamel of your teeth.
If enamel deteriorates, it cannot regrow. And weak enamel can mean your teeth are largely vulnerable to dental issues. So it is crucial to protect the enamel that remains in your smile.
Fortifying the tooth enamel will allow your teeth to better resist surface stains, tooth decay, and more. You can lower your risk for cavities and therefore save time and money that you might otherwise spend in your dentist’s chair. Prevent dental problems among other health concerns by drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated.