5 Tips for Improving Your Daily Dental Hygiene Routine

Brushing your teeth twice a day doesn’t ensure that your mouth gets the proper dental health attention that it deserves. Understanding great brushing technique as well as having the right tools can help you to clean your teeth more thoroughly and ensure proper dental hygiene. We hope that these dental hygiene tips will help you to take your dental routine to the next level!

It is not enough to quickly go through your teeth with the bristles in order to get rid of visible food remnants. You need to use a proper brushing technique. This includes holding your toothbrush at 45-degree angle to your gums. Try using short back and forth movements across the tops and sides of your teeth. After that, use vertical movements with shorter strokes on the back surface of the teeth. Make sure to focus on the front anterior teeth, because plaque tends to build up there more frequently.

Always choose a toothbrush which has bristles and a small head in order to reach the small fissures of your molars and other hard-to-reach places in your mouth. Food particles tend to hide in areas like this. For this purpose, we recommend that adults use a small or medium-sized toothbrush. Most dentists recommend softer bristles so as not to damage your existing enamel. You want to brush thoroughly but not aggressively.

Flossing is as important as brushing and it needs to be done properly. When you go between your teeth, you reach all the germs that are stuck there. It would be the best to use an 18-inch-long piece of floss. Try to use a fresh part of floss every few teeth, because in that way you will prevent reinserting bacteria that you removed before. Use a C shape motion, by wrapping the floss around each surface of the tooth in order to properly clean it. Try to avoid hitting the gums too hard.

Mouthwash can help you to clean places where floss and toothbrushes can’t reach and clean properly. Remember that debris left in your mouth can break down and turn into an acid that erodes your enamel and causes tooth decay which leads to gum disease. Using mouthwash every day as a part of your dental hygiene routine can ensure more thorough cleaning of your teeth as well as leave you with fresher breath!

With time and use, the bristles of toothbrush wear off and don’t provide the same cleaning effect as before. In that case, we recommend you to change your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months. Maintaining oral hygiene is a big part of your overall body health. Following these tips of dental hygiene, improving your brushing technique and using the right products will help you to keep your teeth healthy and cavity-free. If you are interested in getting professional dental cleaning, thorough teeth examination, or a smile makeover, feel free to visit your cosmetic dentist at Beverly Hills Dentistry or call (310) 652-8383.