Cut Down Wear and Tear
Your teeth are crazy strong. Still, they can be worn down. All that chewing, grinding, and biting wears away the enamel – that hard, outer layer of your teeth. It also flattens the parts you use when you bite and chew.
You can’t erase a lifetime of wear and tear, without having it restored by a dentist, but you can keep it from getting worse. Don’t chew ice or other hard foods. That can cause chips in your enamel and even broken teeth
Keep Your Gums Healthy
Bacteria, called plaque is always forming on your teeth. If you don’t remove it, it can cause soreness, swelling, and bleeding in your gums. It can even cause infections that hurt the bone underneath.
Don’t Let Your Mouth Dry Out
Saliva helps clean teeth and protects your mouth from decay. But as you get older, your mouth gets drier and your odds of tooth decay go up. Your medication could be to blame. Lots of drugs dry you out. To fight back, drink more water. Hold it in your mouth for a few seconds before you swallow. You can also suck on sugarless candy or chew sugarless gum. If you think drugs are the cause, talk to your doctor about changing them.