Dental Care at Home
Eight Ways to Make Your Home Dental Hygiene More Effective
The two most important aspects of an effective at-home dental hygiene program are frequency and technique. In other words, it's important that you brush at least twice a day, floss once a day—and do both correctly.
Below are eight tips to make the most of the time you spend brushing and flossing. After all, you're doing it anyway, so you might as well do it right!
First, floss each and every day, preferably at night, to remove food and bacteria from the vulnerable areas between your teeth. Any floss can do the job; choose one that you like. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles. They are just as effective at cleaning teeth as their hard-bristled counterparts, yet they're much gentler on gums and tooth enamel.To brush properly, hold the head of the brush at a 45-degree angle to your gums, use firm but gentle pressure, and move the bristles around all surfaces of each tooth using small, circular movements. Overlap as you move from one tooth to the next.Use the tip of the toothbrush to clean the backsides of your upper and lower front teeth.Develop a brushing pattern that works for you and stick to it. This will ensure that you clean every surface of every tooth each time you brush. After you've brushed your teeth, gently brush your tongue, from back to front. Rinse your brush and then carefully brush the roof of your mouth. This will remove a good deal of bacteria and will help to keep your breath fresh. A mouth rinse can be a good addition to your home dental hygiene program. Just make sure the mouth rinse doesn't contain alcohol, which can dry your mouth and result in a new set of problems. Also, rinsing should never replace flossing or brushing, unless it's impossible for you to brush or floss at that time. Finally, here's a little-known fact: you should avoid brushing immediately after ingesting acidic foods or beverages, like orange juice, soda or grapefruit juice. Research has shown that when you brush after an acidic food or beverage, a small amount of the tooth enamel is worn away by the toothbrush rubbing the acids against the teeth. In this case, it's better to rinse your mouth, then wait an hour or two before brushing. This allows time for the saliva in your mouth to work to remineralize your teeth.