You can achieve a sparkling white smile by boosting your oral care routine. You will not worry about bad breath and you will achieve your highest confidence if you follow the best oral care routine. These best practices will help you ensure healthy teeth and gums plus cool and fresh breath. In addition, you can avoid diseases as oral health has a major impact on your overall health. It has been linked to many health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, pre-term labor, and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Taking care of your teeth, gums and tongue is taking care of yourself. Get up and follow the best oral care routine.

1. Brush your teeth before breakfast. 

Brush your teeth when you wake up in the morning before breakfast instead of doing it after. This is what dentists recommend. Your teeth need protection from acids and sugars. The fluoride from the toothpaste will make your teeth protected when you brush before eating your first meal. In addition, bacteria build up in the mouth while you sleep. Your morning breath will be improved if you start your day brushing your teeth.

2. Play a song that lasts for two minutes while you brush your teeth.

To avoid both insufficient and over brushing, brush only according to what dentists recommend – two minutes. Playing a song as a timer will brighten up your mood as your start the day and make you relaxed while brushing before bedtime.

3. Start brushing from the molars.

Pay attention to the back of your mouth sometimes. Ensure that all of your teeth receive equal care. Start from the upper right side in the back since molars are more susceptible to cavities and gum disease.

4. Just spit the toothpaste. Do not rinse it off with water.

Rinsing washes away fluoride off your mouth. Thus, you are removing your teeth protection when you rinse with water after brushing your teeth. Each of your teeth needs fluoride to protect its enamel, the thin outside covering of the tooth. The enamel helps protect the teeth from regular chewing and biting, from painful temperatures, and acids and sugary drinks and bites. Although it is the hardest tissue in the human body, it may chip crack. Protecting enamel is highly encouraged because once it is damaged, it cannot be repaired back.

5. Use antibacterial mouthwash after each brushing.

Protect your gums from gingivitis, keep your teeth away from cavities, and remove the odor-causing bacteria on your tongue by swishing an antibacterial mouthwash. Wait for 30 seconds before spitting the mouthwash off. Ensure that the mouthwash reaches the back of your tongue, the gums, front teeth, and molars before expelling it out of your mouth. This process kills bacteria that brushing alone cannot remove.

6. Don’t forget to scrape or brush your tongue.

The odor-causing bacteria stay in the tongue. If it is ignored, you will still have bad breath, cavities, and gum disease. Total oral health care includes the tongue. Don’t forget to clean your tongue. Using a tongue scraper is more effective than using a toothbrush.

7. Floss every day.

A toothbrush can clean on the enamel of the teeth, along the gum line, and the surface of the tongue but not in between the teeth for these are the tough or hard-to-reach areas that usually contain food debris. Dental floss is a helpful tool to dislodge food particles, debris, and plaque buildups in between teeth. Floss regularly either before or after brushing. Do it once a day (in the morning or before bedtime) to achieve a healthy smile.

8. To avoid tooth decay, wait for 30 minutes to one hour before brushing your teeth when you eat food with a low pH level.

Acidic foods soften the enamel and cause tooth decay. If you immediately brush your teeth right after eating acidic foods (such as oranges, soda, juices, and wine) your enamel might be removed. That is what makes the teeth more vulnerable to tooth decay. Never brush your teeth right away or wait for 30 minutes to one hour to avoid the erosion of your enamel.

9. Brush with a gentle amount of pressure in a circular motion using a soft-bristled toothbrush.

If you have a hard-bristled toothbrush, change it now. Do not wait for three months. You might feel that your mouth is cleaner with a firm-bristled toothbrush but it can damage or hurt your gums. Just use a soft-bristled toothbrush with a gentle amount of force at a 45-degree angle against the gum line. Brush in a circular motion. This will avoid gums from bleeding.

10. Do not over brush. Twice a day is enough.

Brushing every after a meal can also damage your teeth and gums. Morning (before breakfast) and evening (before bedtime) are the highly recommended brushing schedule. What you can do after every meal and snack is rinse your mouth with plain water. Do some vigorous swishing to force the liquid in between the teeth. This will dislodge the food particles in between teeth and will still make your mouth clean.

11. See your dentist every six months. 

If you can follow the mentioned oral care practices but you cannot limit yourself from sugary drinks like coffee, frappe, milk tea, ice cream, chocolate, soda, and other sweet beverages from morning to evening, you still need to see your dentist every six months or as needed. When your mouth is exposed to sugar, the bacteria will use the sugar as a food source. They metabolize it into lactic acid that will dissolve the minerals in your teeth. That is how cavities are formed. Visit your dentist to avoid these cavities. Let the expert check on your mouth.

12. Sanitize your toothbrushes (manual and electric), tongue scraper, toothbrush, and toothpaste holders regularly.

To avoid reinfection and diseases, do not forget to disinfect all of your oral care tools for they are one of the germiest items in the household. Clean the toothbrush bristles with hot water, vinegar, or an antibacterial mouthwash. Wash the handles of the manual toothbrushes with soap and water. Clean the toothbrush and toothpaste holders and the tongue scraper. Dry them with cloth and store them away from the toilet. Put them in places where the air flows to avoid bacteria from thriving.