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bones.

8) Avoid snacking between meals. If you must snack, rinse your mouth well with clean water afterwards. Swish water around in your mouth to flush out food particles.

9) Drink tap water plentifully, as this should contain flouride, which strengthens teeth. Most city water supplies offer fluoride. Bottled water does not. If you have your own well, you can have a water sample tested for fluoride levels. Oddly, much well water now contains acceptable levels of fluoride, probably from the water cycle after decades of cities adding it.

10) Make and keep regular dental cleaning and checkup appointments. Twice a year is the generally accepted practice. Annual dental x-rays are an excellent idea, except during pregnancies.

11) Keep your toothbrush clean. After each use, clean between the bristles. Rinse it well, and stand it upright in a cup or toothbrush holder, so the air will dry it completely. Every week, run your toothbrush through the dishwasher. (Stand it up in the utensil holder.) Dry it with the heat cycle. This will help to eliminate germs.

12) Toss your old toothbrush, and pick up a new one every few months. Replace it more often, if you have been sick, or if the bristles are matted down or frayed. Most dentists provide complimentary toothbrushes and sample packs of dental floss at dental visits as well.

If you take good care of your teeth, they will serve you well, for life!

Learn more about this author, Linda Ann Nickerson.
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