The last thing you want to want someone to accuse you of is having a dirty mouth. Especially when it comes to oral hygiene.
Hopefully, you’re already in the habit of brushing your teeth regularly. (Like twice a day regularly.) But maybe you’re looking for a way to step up the care of your pearly whites.
Maintaining excellent oral hygiene will help keep you from cavities, dentures, and a frustrated dentist.
Beautiful Brush Strokes
When it comes to brushing your teeth, you can use techniques to get the ultimate shine on your teeth. Of course, haphazard brushing is still better than not brushing, but since you’re reading this, we’ll assume you want to be the best brusher you can be.
When it comes to the brush you wield, be sure to grab one with a small to medium head and soft bristles. For bonus points, you can get one that has a tongue scraper on the back of its head. Other than that, it can be electric or manual, thin or wide, blue or purple—whatever makes you want to brush your teeth.
In a perfect world, you would brush your teeth for two minutes each time you put toothpaste on the toothbrush. If you don’t have one of the fancy electric toothbrushes that stop after two minutes, then you can use an hourglass or a song to make sure you get all 120 seconds.
When you’re actively brushing your teeth, you should start brushing at your gumline and hold your brush at a 45-degree angle. If you’re using an electric toothbrush, you can just put the toothbrush up to each tooth and let the brush do the rest of the work. If you’re using an acoustic toothbrush, use a circular motion to clean each tooth.
Be sure to get every bit of enamel from your canines to your molars. To reach the teeth in the back, you may need to close your mouth to make sure you clean the whole tooth. Brush the front, back, and tops of your teeth, and get your gums and tongue too.
When you’re all done brushing, rinse your toothbrush off with water and stand it up to air dry. If your toothbrush is wet, you shouldn’t cover it because that breeds bacteria.
And please, for the love of whatever you believe in, don’t share your toothbrush.
Tasty Toothpaste
We’re sure you have a preference for mint or bubblegum toothpaste, but the flavor is not the only thing to look for. You should only buy toothpaste that has an ADA seal on it and contains fluoride. These two things will guarantee that your toothpaste is safe and effective.
There’s a reason you don’t brush your teeth with just water. Choosing the right toothpaste will help you fight plaque and prevent tooth decay.
Funky Flossing
Oh, floss. You know, that thing you dig out of your bathroom cabinet right before a dentist appointment? If you floss regularly, your gums won’t bleed when you see the dentist.
We know the only kind of flossing you want to do is the dance move, but if you muster up the courage to pull the string from the container, then make sure you use it properly. You don’t have to be a dental hygienist to be good at flossing.
Pull out about 18 inches of floss. This may seem like a lot, but you have a lot of teeth. Wind most of the string around two of your fingers (usually your middle fingers for length). Slide the floss between each tooth, being sure to get each side instead of just dipping it up and down and calling it good.
We promise it’s not so bad when you do it often.
Mighty Mouthwash
Mouthwash doesn’t have to be something you only use right before a date. Sure, it’s excellent for making your breath smell better in a pinch, but it offers so much more than that as well.
Mouthwash has the power to whiten teeth, get rid of plaque, reduce gingivitis, and soothe dry mouth. It also provides a boost of fluoride and anti-microbial cleaning properties, so your mouth is extra clean—happy date night to you.
Magnificent Mouthguards and Radiant Retainers
If you have bruxism, you probably have a nightguard; if you had braces, you probably have a retainer. Either way, there’s something that goes from being in your mouth for eight hours to being in its case the rest of the day. And then you put it in your mouth again.
Mouthguards and retainers are essential tools for taking care of your teeth. But if you don’t clean them or replace them frequently, then all the hard work you do brushing will be lost when you put a disk of bacteria in your mouth.
In a perfect world, a retainer should be at least rinsed off with water every day and then submerged into boiling water or denture solution once a month to deep clean it. It’s unlikely that you’ll want to pay to replace a retainer, so keeping it clean is the best way to keep your teeth straight and your mouth sanitary.
Mouthguards are the same way, but mouthguards are generally easier to replace than retainers. You should be deep cleaning your mouthguard around once a month, and when shopping for a custom night guard, you should look into options that have a replacement plan.
Cheeky’s replacement plan ships you a new mouthguard every three months. Not because our guards only last for three months, but because we know how icky nightguards can get after a while. We make it so you don’t have to think about it too much.
Your Sensational Smile
Taking care of your teeth will keep your smile shining and sanitary. Brush up on your teeth cleaning techniques now, so when we can finally take these masks off, your grin will be gorgeous. Show off those pearly whites with pride and joy.
Want more tips and tricks to terrific teeth? Let’s get Cheeky.
