Taking care of your oral health is imperative to have a beautiful and healthy smile. Daily tooth brushing helps remove surface stains, plaque, food particles, and bacteria from your oral cavity and keeps gum disease and tooth decay away.
However, tooth brushing shouldn’t be the only step in your oral care routine. When you want to have the healthiest smile possible and impress your dentist during your next checkup, what are some small steps you can add to your routine?
Brush Your Tongue
If you’re not in the habit of brushing your tongue when you brush your teeth, you may want to start. Research shows that brushing your tongue can help reduce bacteria and potentially plaque in the oral cavity [1]. Tongue brushing is quick, simple, and effective, and you don’t necessarily need a tongue scraper or an extra tool to do the job. You can simply brush your tongue with your toothbrush to have a cleaner mouth, fresher breath, and better oral health.
Floss Your Teeth
Although this step may seem obvious, an estimated one-third of people don’t floss their teeth, although the number is estimated to be much higher. Your toothbrush simply can’t reach all the surfaces of your teeth, particularly where two teeth touch together [2].
Flossing is an essential part of any oral care routine and is a must to remove plaque and food particles from between your teeth. Skipping flossing increases your risk for gum disease, bad breath, and tooth decay. Flossing takes just a couple of minutes per day and can dramatically improve your oral health.
Consider a Mouthwash
Mouthwash isn’t strictly necessary if you brush and floss your teeth properly. However, some people can benefit from mouthwash to improve their oral health. For example, if you have a higher risk for cavities or gum disease, your dentist may recommend a mouthwash to help prevent tooth decay and gum inflammation in addition to your regular oral care routine [3].
Just remember that mouthwash is never a replacement for brushing and flossing!
Check Your Smile
While your dentist will take a close look at your teeth and gums during your regular checkup, you can monitor your smile for any abnormalities during your oral care routine. Things to pay attention to include:
- Sudden or increasing tooth sensitivity
- Red or swollen gum tissue
- Dark or unusually white areas on your teeth
- Gum recession or bleeding
- Bad breath even after brushing and flossing
- Any painful lesions or sores that don’t go away
If you notice anything concerning about your smile, don’t wait for your six-month checkup to make an appointment with your dentist. Noticing and addressing these issues early may help prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and other problems such as tooth sensitivity from getting worse.
Ask Your Dentist for More Tips
How well do you care for your smile? Ask your dentist for more tips to improve your oral care routine during your next checkup. Your dentist can notice areas you may miss when brushing, help you improve your flossing technique, and even recommend a mouthwash for better oral health.
Sources:
1. https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6831-14-4
2. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/11/dont-toss-floss
3. https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/oral-health-
topics/mouthrinse-mouthwash
