I would offer the following useful tips for improving dental hygiene. These small changes can bring big results if applied correctly:
Tip 1: When you are brushing your teeth, make sure you also brush the gum too. Brushing the gum is like massaging the gum, providing blood circulation to the area. This will make the gum more healthy and the immediate result is to see the gum bleeding stop. Also, the food debris tends to accumulate around the neck area of the tooth and by brushing the gum, this helps remove the food debris from that area.
Tip 2: Do not open your mouth too wide when you are brushing. This may seem like counter-intuitive. So let me explain. If you open your mouth too wide, the cheek will be stretched to its maximum and no further stretching is possible. So if you try to brush the cheeky side of your back teeth, you will have to insert your toothbrush in between your cheek and the teeth. However, if you open too wide, you won’t be able to insert the toothbrush into that area because the cheek cannot be stretched further. Thus, I suggest patient to open the mouth half way when trying the brush the back teeth. This allow the tootbrush to stretch the cheek and get to the tooth.
Tip 3: Do not rinse with water after rinsing with listerine or prescribed medicated mouth rinse. Always use the mouth rinse full strength as prescribed. After rinsing with the mouth rinse, do not follow by rinsing with water. You will want the active ingredient in the mouth rinse to continue to remain on the tooth and the gum so its effect can be expressed. However, water rinsing will dilute the active ingredient and tremendously decrease the potency of the medicated mouth rinse.
Tip 4: If your dentist tells you to improve your oral hygiene, sometimes it is a good idea to time your brushing with a watch. Diligently brush for full three minutes can bring wondrous results.
Tip 5: Drink water after you eat. Even if you cannot brush your teeth or rinse with water at a restaurant, it is beneficial to drink a glass of water after the meal because water can help wash away food debris on the teeth.
Written by Daniel Tee, DDS, MS
Practicing General Dentist Serving Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Phoenix, Gilbert, Arizona
