Brushing Habits You Should Pick Up

If you keep a solid daily oral care routine, then kudos for you. You’re doing your part in the constant battle to keep plaque and tartar at bay. Daily brushing and flossing work in tandem with regular checkups at Allure Dental Care of Maple Lawn. Without both these dental care steps, you’ll fall behind in the plaque prevention game.

However, as with any regular habit, you may be set in your ways and, over time, inefficiencies, and ineffective patterns creep into your routine. These are likely not a big deal, but it may mean you require more aggressive teeth cleaning during your dental office visits. The best dentist appointment is the fast, in-and-out, see-you-in-six-months kind. Perk up the value of your brushing time by reviewing these plaque-destroying habits.

Check your timing

The perception of time is a very fluid concept. An hour spent on your favorite hobby passes faster than five minutes washing the dishes, it seems, and you might be guesstimating your brushing time on the short side. Effective cleaning of your teeth takes time, and the experts suggest this is at least two minutes, no matter what type of brush you use. Putting in the brush time is so crucial that it’s worth checking your inner timer. Use an egg timer, wristwatch, or count it down with a smartphone function. Some electric toothbrushes give you a signal when two minutes are up.

Rethink the rinse

Mouthwash users who rinse after brushing love the sparkling fresh way their mouth feels. However, they’ve just killed some of the benefits of using toothpaste. Sure, their teeth are clean, but they’ve washed away the fluoride that helps strengthen their tooth enamel. It takes time for the fluoride in toothpaste to migrate into your teeth. Rinsing with water or mouthwash carries away that coating before it has a chance to do its job. Do the rinse first. It’s not like you’ll brush away the freshness of your mouthwash, and you’ll gain the benefits of increased fluoride absorption.

Go electric

There are more benefits to an electric toothbrush than simply the timer. While manual brushes can, in theory, provide a similar quality of cleaning, more depends on your technique. Since electric brushes handle bristle movement for you, it’s easier to follow a systematic approach to tooth coverage, a key part of effective cleaning. The expense may be an argument against electrics since the best of the best can cost over $100. Under-$10 brushes are easy to find, so give the power assist a try and decide how you like it.

Don’t forget the floss

No brush, manual or electric, can clear food debris from between your teeth the way that dental floss can. As a habit, flossing may be harder to acquire than a change in brush technique. The bonus is fresher breath and easier cleanings since you clear away deeply impacted food debris.

Ask your Allure Dental Care of Maple Lawn oral care professional how you’re doing. They may be able to point out spots that need more attention or help you with any other home care concerns you have. Time for an appointment? Call the office at 240-394-1241 or request an appointment online. Until then, keep up the clean work.