Don’t Start Your Day with a Dirty Mouth
Every morning when you wake up, you are going to brush your teeth because you have morning breath. This is caused by the bacteria that forms on your teeth constantly, and a considerable amount grew on your teeth while you slept – which is why you have that bad taste in your mouth when you wake up. You may not know it, but the procedure you use in your morning routine to brush your teeth and floss will determine how long your breath stays fresh. Most people are doing it wrong, which leaves their mouths dirty.
Start with Flossing
When you want to use the best way to clean your teeth, there is a procedure that you need to follow for best results. If you leave something out or do them in a different order, you will not have the cleanest mouth you can get.
You want to start by flossing teeth. This will remove all the food particles and sugar between your teeth. It is important because the bacteria that causes cavities feeds on sugar and food particles, and it produces acid when it does. This acid is what causes both cavities and gum disease. It also produces a sulfide gas, which is why you have bad breath as the bacteria multiply.
Move to Brush Teeth
After you have done a thorough job of flossing, you want to brush your teeth. This step will remove the rest of the plaque from your teeth. You should use toothpaste that has fluoride in it because this will provide you with extra protection against cavities.
Fluoride has been named the best tool to help prevent dental caries (cavities). It is so effective because it helps the remineralization of your teeth, while the bacteria and acid are always demineralizing it. Fluoride enables there to be a balance between demineralization and remineralization, hopefully enabling a net balance with very little loss – which weakens teeth. Some companies claim that fluoride does not make a difference, but this has been proven untrue and is not accepted by most researchers and dentists.
The best way to brush teeth is to brush them twice a day for at least two minutes each time. When you are brushing less than two minutes, it means that you are probably not getting all of your teeth very clean. Care needs to be given to brush all surfaces of each tooth, including the tongue side of your teeth.
The correct method to brush your teeth involves choosing the right toothbrush. It needs to have a small enough head on it to enable you to reach and clean all the teeth in your mouth. It should also have soft bristles so that they are flexible enough to bend and go under the edge of your gums. You need to hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your teeth and gums while you brush.
When you use a toothbrush with hard bristles, or press too hard on the toothbrush, it will help to wear away your gums. Plaque is easily removed and does not require scrubbing, but you do want to get all of it. It does not matter whether you use a manual or an electric toothbrush.
After you are finished brushing your teeth, you want to spit out as much of the toothpaste as you can. You do not want to rinse your mouth with water afterward because this will remove the fluoride. Letting it remain on your teeth for a few minutes will help your teeth.
Be sure to replace your toothbrush about every three months because the bristles will become frayed. Once it reaches that stage, it loses its ability to clean your teeth.
Use a Tongue Scraper
While you are brushing your teeth, you probably will take your toothbrush and brush your tongue to remove the bacteria that has accumulated there overnight. While this is a good thing, and it will help you have better breath, using a tongue scraper will do a much better job. It is even more important if you have a coating on your tongue, which may be caused by an illness, smoking, a yeast infection, or dry mouth.
Finish with Mouthwash
As a final touch to getting a truly clean mouth, you want to finish the process with a good mouthwash. You can use a fluoridated mouthwash to further add fluoride to your teeth, but be careful not to use one with citric acid as a preservative. This acid may help to reduce the minerals in your teeth.
While the above process will certainly help you have a clean mouth, there will still occasionally be dental problems. Making regular dental visits for teeth cleaning at the office of Dr. Kumar T. Vadivel, DDS, FDS RCS, MS, a Board Certified Periodontist, will enable you to keep your teeth in even better shape. He has offices in the Carrollton, Cedar Hill, Mockingbird[SMU] and Grapevine, TX areas. For a consultation or dental treatment for better oral health, you can contact his office today at 214-731-0123
