You have likely heard multiple times in your life that water is good for you. Did you know that water is good – no, great – for your smile, as well? What’s interesting is that drinking water on a daily basis can positively affect your oral health in more than one way. While it’s perfectly acceptable to drink other beverages (provided you remember your smile will need a rinse and brushing to protect it from tooth decay), selecting water always benefits your teeth and gums. Consider a couple ways water protects you.
Prevention Through Hydration
First, if you have heard that you need to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day, this is with good reason. Your body uses water every day to function. You lose it through a variety of means, such as sweating. If you don’t have enough water, you become dehydrated. This can show up in your oral health as dry mouth, a problem that allows bacteria to multiply. The result? Tooth decay and halitosis. Drink more water to keep your entire body hydrated (that includes your mouth).
Prevention Through Rinsing
As you may have imagined, protecting your oral health by drinking water can occur through much more obvious means. Because water is neutral on the pH scale, it’s safe for your smile and can even help neutralize an acid oral environment. When you drink water, it cleanses your teeth and gums, removing bacteria, dislodging food, and helping to prevent a slew of oral problems, including but not limited to bad breath, plaque accumulation, cavity formation, and gingivitis.