Did you know that brushing your teeth isn’t just about getting rid of the garlic breath and coffee stains? Good oral health is actually directly linked to good health overall. Keep your mouth and your body happy with a good oral hygiene routine.

If your oral health is better than you think it should be, you may be benefiting from flouridated water coming out of your tap. Flouride helps prevent cavities and many cities are adding it to their water supply, and have been for decades. If you drink mostly filtered water, bottled water, or no water at all, you might not be getting enough flouride. Get yours by using a flouride rinse in the evenings.

Although I grew up brushing my teeth before bed every night, I never really did any flossing - it seemed like something for old people. Despite cajoling by my dentist, I just never got into it. Then my Mom challenged me to try it for 2 weeks just to see how it went. I was amazed at how much “stuff” the floss was able to get out of my teeth, even after I had brushed. Although my teeth are straight, I guess they are close together and the shape allows them to trap food particles. After I saw that flossing was effective, I decided to keep it up after my 2-week test period. I am glad I did - my dentist really noticed an improvement at my next check up (even though I had always been fine/healthy before, this time it was even better!). I figured if the dentist could tell I’d been flossing, it must make a difference so I decided to keep it up. I asked if I should floss twice a day since I brush twice a day, but my dental hygienist said that wasn’t necessary. Apparently the bacteria that flossing helps irradicate from your mouth take about 24 hours to build up. You could be doing more harm than good to your gums if you floss too zealously or too often.

If you thought you had brushing down - that was the easy one, right? - you may be surprised to learn that if you’re brushing with the $3 toothbrush from the grocery store, you’re grossly under serving your teeth. Technology has changed a lot since you were a kid. You don’t have to make due with the free toothbrush from your dentist anymore. In fact, electric toothbrushes get your teeth a lot cleaner. The sonic toothbrushes do an even better job. According to a recent interview with a dentist that I read in Reader’s Digest, the Dentist said he recommended everyone get a sonic care toothbrush.

When I asked my personal dentist if I should be using a sonic care toothbrush, his answer was a resounding yes. Other people in my family had been using about them, and I read about them in consumer reports. The data panned out so I decided to invest in a sonic toothbrush.

The sonic care toothbrush was easy to use (It almost made brushing fun!) and I could tell a difference. My teeth seemed whiter. My dentist could see a difference, too, so I decided to stick with the Sonicare brushing.

If you want the whitest smile and the healthiest teeth, I strongly encourage you to adopt the oral health routine my dentist laid out for me: Flouride, Flossing, Brushing with a Sonic Toothbrush, and Regular Dental Exams. None if it is hard, and it’s the right thing to do for your health and your smile.

I hope you decide to do the same - it’s worth it to take good care of your teeth.

Tags: Dental

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