Are you properly maintaining your oral hygiene? The act of brushing your teeth every morning and night is only the beginning of maintaining good oral hygiene. You can achieve thorough oral care and hygiene by using the tools that are in your medicine cabinet and by brushing properly. Maintaining good oral health will help you avoid dental issues like tooth decay, crown problems, the buildup of plaque and tartar, and will generally reduce the number of times you need to visit the dentist.

Find a list of recommendations for maintaining a beautiful, healthy smile below!

1. Employ the right brushing methods
Twice daily, spend at least two minutes brushing your teeth. Uncertain of how to maintain timing? You will get the timing just right and enjoy brushing if you listen to a song that lasts between two and three minutes.

Apply short, gentle back and forth strokes across the sides and tops of your teeth with your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle toward your gumline. By holding the toothbrush vertically and using gentle, short strokes, clean the back teeth.

2. Brush when it’s appropriate
As was already mentioned, it is advised that you brush your teeth twice a day. But when exactly should you do it? Since we were young, we have been instructed to brush our teeth after every meal. It turns out that the situation is a little more nuanced than that. Your teeth’s enamel may temporarily soften after eating and drinking, and brushing your teeth right away may unintentionally erode the enamel. Your saliva will have neutralized the acid content and restored the enamel to its pre-acid condition after an hour. So, as a general rule, brush your teeth an hour before breakfast or afterward. The same rule applies at night: wait an hour before brushing your teeth after making sure it’s the last thing you do before bed.

3. Properly floss
A vital step for maintaining your oral health is flossing. Once daily, right after brushing and perhaps right before bed, floss. Use a piece of floss to gently rub each tooth up and down by wrapping the ends around one finger on each hand. In order to be as gentle as you can, try to follow the contour of your teeth. Remember to floss your back teeth as well!

4. Select the Proper Brush
Soft-bristled toothbrushes are typically advised, but your dentist will make a recommendation based on your specific needs. Make sure to select a brush with the proper size and shape to fit comfortably in your mouth while you brush; the brush should be small and flexible enough to reach the back teeth in your mouth. Using an electric toothbrush has been shown to remove twice as much plaque as manual brushing. This is something else you might want to think about.

(5) Wipe Your Brush
Rinsing your brush with water after use and allowing it to air dry are the best ways to keep it clean. Dentists advise against covering it as it can encourage the growth of new bacteria. Don’t let anyone else use your toothbrush.

6. Switch Brushes
Make sure to protect your oral health by switching out your toothbrush every three to four months because bristles deteriorate over time and use.

Utilize mouthwash.
After brushing and flossing your teeth, use mouthwash. Spit out the mouthwash after using it for 30 to 40 seconds to clean your mouth. Don’t rinse your mouth out afterward.

Eight. Wipe Your Tongue
Many people overlook this crucial step in their oral hygiene regimen, but you also need to clean your tongue to prevent bacteria from sticking around and accumulating in your mouth. Apply a small amount of toothpaste to your toothbrush and brush your tongue in circular motions before rinsing it off with water. As an alternative, you can gently clean the tongue by using a piece of floss. Tongue scrapers are also widely available, and they function similarly to flossing by gently cleaning your tongue with the ends of the scraper. Afterwards, rinse.

9. Avoid Eating Just Before Bed
After brushing your teeth at night, be sure to avoid eating anything. By doing this, you’ll prevent any sugar, food particles, or bacteria from sticking to your teeth overnight.

Are you in need of dental care but unsure of what you require or which office to go to? For your completely free, non-obligatory assessment, get in touch with a patient manager at Qunomedical.