7 Great Tips for Better Oral Health from a Dental Hygienist

Kelly Hancock
Nov 3 · 2 min read

As a dental hygienist, I make sure to go over oral hygiene instructions with each and every patient. Home care is very important in keeping up with your dental health. I tailor all of my oral hygiene instructions towards each individual patient.

However, there are a few tips that I recommend for every one to follow to achieve optimal oral health.

  1. Brush your teeth two times a day. Night time is the most important. Think about you food has been on your teeth the entire day. Plus you sleep for a long time (hopefully you are rockin' your 6-8 hours). So while you are sleeping your toothpaste and mouthwash ingredients such as fluoride can be doing their job (AKA fighting cavities).
  2. Use a fluoridated mouthwash and toothpaste. This helps prevent cavities and keep your teeth strong. If you have weakened areas of enamel that are still in the beginning or incipient stage of a cavity, you can actual remineralize this area.
  3. Visit you dentist and dental hygienist for a routine examination and cleaning 2 times per year. That way they can stay on top of all possible dental issues that may be arising. HINT: It is much easier & cheaper to fix a small cavity that is caught early than to fix a large area of decay. The bigger the cavity, the more costly the procedure.
  4. Don't skip brushing your gum line. As a dental hygienist this is often the area that I see missed the most. The gums are very important as they are the foundation of your teeth. If your gums become inflamed due to plaque buildup, you can get gum disease.
  5. Don't forget to floss at least once daily. People often think that they only need to floss when they feel like they have food stuck in between their teeth. This is most certainly NOT the case. If you aren't flossing your teeth then you are missing cleaning a large section of your tooth. Cavities often start in between the teeth where your toothbrush can't reach (but floss can).
  6. Use a water flosser irrigator to help flush out bad bacteria, food and debris from in between the teeth. Now I personally do not believe this replaces manual flossing, but I think this is a great tool to be used in conjunction with regular floss. Flushing out gum pockets helps keep them clean and strong.
  7. Use a great electric toothbrush. Get one with great features and a great bristle design. As a dental hygienist and proud BURST ambassador, my favorite toothbrush is the BURST sonic toothbrush. You can read a more detailed review of it HERE plus get a $30 discount!

These are the oral hygiene tips I make sure to instill in every patient.

Kelly Hancock , RDH, Toothbrushlife

    Kelly Hancock

    Written by

    Oral Health Website owner at toothbrushlife.com

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