6 Easy Ways Latino Families Can Get Healthier Mouths

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Salud America! Guest Blogger
Jefferson Dental Care

Let’s “face” it—the mouth is a good place to start helping your family develop healthy oral and general health habits.

The mouth is not disconnected from our body.

It affects us physically and psychologically. It shapes how we look, speak, chew, taste food and enjoy life.

Studies have shown that poor oral health is linked to major health issues like cardiovascular disease, respiratory infections and diabetic complications.

This is especially true for Latinos.

6 Big Tips for Better Oral Health

To reduce the effects of poor oral health on your general health, there are several easy steps that you and your family can do proactively today.

These quick habits adopted as a family, can improve well-being, as well as influence your family to enjoy a life with a healthy smile

Make good dietary choices. Refrain from consuming sugary soft drinks and juices, add more fresh green and yellow fruits and vegetables to your diet that are high in vitamins A, C and E as well as whole grain products. Eat meals together and take time to disconnect. Moreover, limit consumption of overly sugary, starchy and acidic foods that can promote tooth decay.

Brush at least 2x a day. It is recommended that you brush your teeth at least twice a day, for two minutes each time. Make brushing as a family fun by turning on music, using a brush timer and even dancing or moving around to make sure you brush for long enough. Tip: don’t forget to change your toothbrush every 3 months.

Pick your favorite products. Go shopping as a family to stock up on mouth wash, floss and toothpastes that prevent cavities. You can also talk to your dentist about fluoride sealants on your next visit to help prevent cavities from developing.

Rinse and chew. Chewing sugar-free gum after a meal can protect your teeth and gums by increasing salivary flow that washes the bacteria away and naturalizes acid. Sugar-free gum is available in a variety of flavors that adults and kids love. Moreover, mouthwash is a quick fix to rinse particles out of the mouth and freshen breath.

Visit the dentist. It is recommended that you have a dental checkup and cleaning every 6 months. Make dental visits as a family to encourage the everyone to look at this as a fun outing rather than a duty. Moreover, if you have dental benefits, your insurance plan likely might cover visits for family members on your plan, if you don’t use your benefits you lose them!

Floss. Don’t forget to floss, despite any negative attention the act has received in the past years. Flossing is effective at cleaning between teeth, around teeth and under the gums, and reduces plaque buildup which leads to gum disease, tooth decay, and cavities. Flossing cleans the gaps between your teeth where particles accumulate, since brushing alone doesn’t necessarily clean every nook and cranny.

What This Means for Latinos

The Latino population experiences a high level of tooth decay in childhood, which extends to high rates of lost teeth in adulthood.

About 75% of Latino men and nearly 80% of Latinas were missing at least one tooth, according to the Hispanic Community Health Study. Cubans and South Americans were the most likely to have a missing tooth.

Many Latinos don’t seek dental treatment for decay that leads to tooth loss.

Moreover, poor oral hygiene can compound with risk factors like smoking and tobacco use, chronic diseases like HIV or diabetes, frequent alcohol use, poor diet, age, or gender, further impacting Latinos and other populations that are disproportionately impacted by poor oral health.

That’s why developing healthy habits as a family is so important.

Taking care of your health together benefits everyone, reinforces healthy habits for older family members and teaches younger ones the value of good health.

For more oral health tips visit Jefferson Dental.