Our oral hygiene determines the quality of our overall health and well-being. If we neglect it, we can get prone to a range of diseases like dental caries, tooth loss, periodontal (gum) disease, oral cancer, oral manifestations of HIV infection, oro-dental trauma etc. According to WHO, “The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 estimated that oral diseases affect 3.5 billion people worldwide. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, cancers of the lip and oral cavity are among the top 15 most common cancers worldwide, with nearly 180,000 deaths each year.” This indicates how significant it is to take care of our oral hygiene. 

Tips to maintain oral hygiene 

• Tobacco use is a severe risk factor for our oral health. It may lead to gum disease. Needless to say it is the reason for many other diseases and hence just take out tobacco from your life.
• Quit smoking as it yellows the teeth and tongue and gives bad odour to your mouth.
• Alcohol consumption is bad for overall health beginning with poor oral hygiene. It may lead to long term tooth problems and gum disease.Try to get out of the habit of alcohol consumption. 
• Diet which is high in sugar is a risk factor for oral hygiene as cavities get created. It's better to stay away from sugary food and beverages as much as possible. In fact, too much snacking of non-sugary food items is also detrimental for oral hygiene. Eat fibre-rich fruits and vegetables instead.
• Change your toothbrush at regular intervals, ideally it should be every 3 months. The toothbrush should have soft bristles so that they do not damage your gums and tooth enamels. 
• Brush your teeth twice daily as this practise helps in removing plaque and bacteria better.
• Floss once a day to remove bacteria and plaque as there are many areas which a toothbrush is unable to reach. Flossing will help prevent bad breath as well. 
• Meet your dentist at regular intervals, ideally every 6 months. Visiting the dentist is beneficial as he / she would be able to find signs of any gum disease, cavities and other oral health issues of yours. Deep cleaning sessions for your teeth is important to make your teeth squeaky clean by removing plaque and hardened tartars.

Take preventive measures as highlighted above. Focusing on oral hygiene is a much more cost-effective way of ensuring oral health and long term wellbeing than taking action after being negligent.