Tips to More Effectively Clean Your Teeth

Keeping your teeth and gums consistently clean is the cornerstone of keeping your smile consistently healthy. That includes your hygiene efforts at home as well as sticking to your schedule of professional dental cleanings at your Oxnard, CA, dentist’s office. If you lack in one area, then your efforts in the other may not be enough to successfully keep your teeth and smile clean and healthy. Today, we examine how you can make sure that your teeth cleaning routine at home is as effective as can be for the good of your long-term oral health.

Watch what you’re doing
When you brush and floss your teeth at home, the point is to thoroughly clean away all traces of plaque and food particles from their surfaces. If you aren’t watching carefully, then it can be easy to miss a spot here and there, and those spots of plaque can quickly calcify (harden) into tartar. Every time you clean your teeth, do so in front of a well-lit mirror and watch carefully to ensure that you successfully clean all of your teeth’s surfaces.

Drink water between brushings and flossings
Besides actively cleaning your teeth with your toothbrush and floss, you can also ensure they remain clean throughout the day by drinking plenty of water. Doing so routinely rinses away food particles and oral bacteria, and also facilitates a healthy flow of water-rich saliva to aid in further mouth rinsing. For optimal benefits, refrain from drinking sugary and acidic drinks, such as soda and highly sweetened fruit juices.

Take care of your toothbrush
Your hygiene can only be as effective as the tools you use, and if your toothbrush isn’t well taken care of, then your brushing may not be as effective. Be sure to change your brush at least once every three months, and when you store it, do so without sealing the moisture on the bristles (such as in an airtight container). This will avoid allowing bacteria and other microbes to develop on your toothbrush between cleanings.

Learn how to effectively clean your teeth at home
Professional dental cleanings are essential to your oral health, but so are your efforts to keep your teeth clean at home. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Oxnard Dentistry in Oxnard, CA, today at (805) 604-9999. We also proudly serve patients from in and around Camarillo, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Moore Park, and all surrounding communities.