A Complete Guide To Routine Dental Care
Maintaining good oral health starts with an effective oral hygiene routine. It’s common for people to rush through their oral hygiene as they try to get to work, school, or just off to bed. However, consistency is as essential a part of making this process effective as doing it correctly is. This is why it’s essential to understand not just the fundamental elements of oral hygiene but to know how to do it properly. Combined, these two elements will help reduce your risk of plaque taking hold and tooth decay developing. That’s why Danforth Dental Solutions put together this simple guide to proper oral hygiene.
A Complete Guide To Routine Dental Care
We will start with the most obvious step in your oral hygiene routine, brushing. As simple as this process may sound, there’s more to it than you might imagine. For instance, it’s not just about brushing your teeth. It’s about the type of toothbrush you use, the toothpaste you select, how much time you spend brushing, and the proper technique. Effective brushing habits include the following:
- Twice a day brushing, once in the morning, and once after your last meal of the day.
- Don’t hold your brush where it’s flat against your teeth; a 45-degree angle does the best work and gets beneath the gumline.
- Every part of your tooth needs to be brushed, the back of the molars, the outer and inner surfaces, and the chewing surface.
Flossing is an essential aspect of your dental hygiene. It gets into places between your teeth where your toothbrush bristles can’t. Unfortunately, plaque has little trouble getting between your teeth and starting to decay there. Like any other part of your oral hygiene, technique is as important as doing it at all. If you have difficulty using the string floss, there are flossing tools with curved handles that can help. These are available in both a disposable variety and a reusable style. You’ll have to replace the floss between uses with the reusable type.
- Make sure that your floss is pressed against the curved surface of your tooth to be the most effective.
- Be firm but gentle with your flossing. It shouldn’t hurt to floss your teeth properly.
- Take the time to do between every tooth to ensure your teeth are protected.
Cleaning your tongue is another often overlooked part of proper oral hygiene. If you don’t brush your tongue, you leave bacteria and plaque that can continue to attack your oral health. Further, not brushing your tongue can contribute to halitosis or bad breath. Once you’re done with the above steps, finish off your oral hygiene routine with a rinse of antibacterial mouthwash.
Learn More About Dental Hygiene Care
Contact our team today if you want to learn more about routine dental hygiene and how it impacts your oral health. We’ll arrange for your next appointment at our clinic in Toronto, ON. During your visit, we’ll discuss your oral health, your current dental hygiene routine, and the steps you can take to improve it. Call us today at (416) 461-6516 to start on the road to lasting oral health.
