There’s no magic secret to good dental hygiene. If you’re visiting Nupur Gupta, DDS at Perfect Smiles Dental every six months to a year, you’re staying on top of many of the threats to the health of your teeth. However, regular dental checkups are only part of an effective care program for your mouth.
For optimal dental hygiene, you need a good daily routine. It’s a care process that takes little time, but you’re probably already doing many of the things you need to do for sound oral health.
We’ve compiled five tips for your review, so you know that your dental care routine is current and considered. Take a moment for a quick refresher to ensure years of trouble-free dental visits, fresh breath, and a healthy smile.
Update the equipment
If you consider your toothbrush an old friend, around for years, you’re due for new one. In fact, you should replace your brush about every three months. Even when there’s no visible wear, the tips of bristles may be fraying, trapping bacteria, and damaging your gums at each use.
Consider buying several brushes at once — both as a cost savings and to have spares on hand — so it’s a simple matter of tossing out the old and opening the new when it’s time.
Attack the plaque
Picking up the brush isn’t enough if your technique isn’t on spot. Hold your brush so the bristles are on a 45-degree angle to your gumline, and use short, circular motions to scrub away food particles and plaque. Each tooth surface should get about 15 passes.
It is possible to brush too much, which can prematurely erode tooth enamel and wear down gum tissue. Proper flossing technique — working gently between all teeth — is also important to clear plaque effectively without damaging your gums.
Skip the sugar
Eating breaks down starches in carbohydrates, converting them to sugar as part of the digestive process. When this happens throughout your body, there’s usually not a heavy acidic load in your mouth. When it comes to refined sugars, however, the acids are present from the moment those foods enter your mouth.
Cut back on sugary snacks and sodas — which have additional acids of their own — and you lower your risk of cavities.
Run the routine
Using an effective brushing and flossing technique isn’t optimized if your approach to dental hygiene is scattershot. Contemporary power-aided brushes can help ensure you’re brushing long enough while adding dramatic improvements in plaque removal.
Keep your routine to about two minutes of brushing, twice a day, along with a daily flossing for that extra attention between teeth. Following the same routine daily makes brushing more sustainable.
Keep the schedule
We get it. Life can be busy, and sometimes dental appointments seem to be in the way. However, with modern diets, you’re facing a losing battle against plaque, even with the best home care routine. Without regular cleanings with Dr. Gupta’s team, plaque and tartar accumulate and help gum disease establish itself.
Don’t cancel dental appointments. If you have to postpone, reschedule for your earliest convenience. You may think you do a good job at home and you’re fine missing an appointment or two, but it may well be that your sense of dental well-being exists because of your regular visits.
Do your best to maintain your oral health between your annual dental exams, and if you haven’t scheduled a visit lately, call or click to make an appointment today.