How much do you know about making the most of your dental hygiene? Have you been scheduling visits to see us once every six months? If so, you have completed one essential aspect of keeping up with preventive care. What about your routine at home? Are you certain about the things you’re doing to maintain healthy teeth and gums or have you been worried that you’re not doing your best during time spent with your toothbrush? Allow us to help by answering some questions commonly posed by our patients.
Q&A: Dental Hygiene
Question: How do I know if my brush is clean enough? I sometimes feel worried that my toothbrush is dirty but I just can’t tell by looking.
Answer: This is an extremely simple obstacle to tackle. First, you need to make sure your brush is no older than three months – if it is, or looks particularly worn, just replace it. Otherwise, all you need is to rinse your bristles under water when you’ve completed your brushing session. Nothing else to worry about.
Question: I usually brush my teeth when I’m in the shower because it saves time but some of my friends think this is weird – is there anything wrong with this approach to dental hygiene?
Answer: There’s nothing specifically wrong with this approach. However, it’s extremely easy to do a less than stellar job brushing your teeth when you’re not standing in front of the sink and mirror. Just make sure you’re getting every surface of your smile, while brushing for around two minutes each time.
Question: I brush my teeth two times a day and don’t eat any strong-smelling foods but my breath continues to smell bad. Am I not brushing enough?
Answer: Your dental hygiene may suffer if you are failing to floss – this removes plaque that may be difficult to address. In addition, you should brush your tongue (or use a tongue scraper) because bacteria hide there, too!
