by Pamela Sosnowski

Created on: January 15, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

No one ever wants to get a toothache or hear their dentist tell them, "You have a cavity" or "You need a root canal." Yet many well-meaning adults, despite the fact that they brush twice a day and floss daily, can still encounter dental problems, because they're being skimpy about their dental hygiene or they're eating or drinking things to undermine their efforts. I had a former boss that, despite being only thirty years old and claimed to take care of his teeth, was routinely visiting his dentist for root canals. I'm not a dentist, but I've been implementing the following tips and have had six consecutive years of clean dental checkups as a result. Some of these are not routinely mentioned in articles on good home dental care, but they seem to make sense, and as my dentist says, whatever I'm doing, keep it up, as I must be doing something right.

1. Consider upping your brushing to three times a day. Keep a toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste (the travel size portions are perfect for this) in your desk at work to freshen up your mouth at the office. Your coworkers will also appreciate your breath as well, especially after those department lunches at the local Italian restaurant.

2. Floss your teeth at night, before you go to bed. The morning rush is when people are most likely to skimp on hygiene in an attempt to get to the office on time. Flossing at night will ensure that you have enough non-hurried time to do the job properly. Also, see number one above in case, God forbid, you do rush out the door without cleaning your mouth.

3. Water if your best friend; soda and acidic energy drinks are not. Even in sugarless drinks, the citric acid is not good for your teeth. A coworker recently relayed a scary story: as a kid, a classmate who lost a baby tooth placed it in a glass of coke. The following morning, the tooth had completely dissolved. If that's not enough to deter soda or energy drink intake, try to follow these beverages with enough water to rinse them off your teeth. Drinking water throughout the day can also help keep your breath fresher, as it continuously washes bacteria from the back of your tongue.

4. Limit sticky foods and clean your teeth soon after eating them. Chocolate dissolves when you eat it but sticky foods such as soft toffee, gummy bears, and dried fruit leaves behind pieces that settle between your teeth and on the chewing surfaces. That's sugar sitting on your choppers that could easily create a cavity.

5. Choose cheese, please. There's evidence

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>