The Best Ways to Improve Your Oral Hygiene with Our Austin Dentist
After you’ve visited our office for your routine dental cleaning and exams, your dental care doesn’t stop here! When you go home with your brand new toothbrush, it’s time to examine your daily routine to see what ways to improve your smile. See what our Austin dentist has to share so you can keep a healthy and beautiful smile at all times.
Make Sure You’re Brushing Your Teeth the Right Way
Yes, brushing your teeth every morning is a necessary step to maintain healthy teeth and gums, but are you doing it right? People mistakenly think that there is no “wrong way” to brush your teeth, but without the proper technique, your smile may suffer. It’s important to reach all the right spots and brush for at least two minutes. Some people underestimate the length of two minutes when brushing your teeth, but we promise, your healthy smile with be worth it!
When you’re brushing, remember that you’re not only cleaning your teeth, but your gums and tongue, too. These areas are just are sensitive and need to be properly protected. Bacteria is able to hide and build up in the smallest places, so your technique is key to reach all these areas to continuously improve your oral hygiene. Without cleaning these places, you’re susceptible to gingivitis and advanced gum disease.
There is also a common misconception that the faster you brush your teeth, the cleaner they’re going to be, but this isn’t true! If you rush through your brush, you’re not giving your teeth the proper cleaning they deserve. It’s also important to note that if you’re aggressively brushing, you’re not doing your smile any favors. Brushing too hard will wear down your enamel, the protective surface of your teeth, and cause dental sensitivity. With a weak enamel, you may experience sharp, stinging pains when you have food or drinks with drastic temperatures.
Flossing Must be Done
When we bring up flossing during your appointments, we do it out of love and care for your smile! Flossing is an essential part of your oral hygiene routine, so be sure to do so at least once a day to improve your smile. While the bristles of your toothbrush are made to clean some of those hard-to-reach places, your floss is guaranteed to get those spots and remove the build up food particles and bacteria and protect your smile from cavities.
Avoid Harmful Foods and Drinks
The first step to good oral hygiene is ensuring your smile is being properly taken care of with the right tools, like your toothbrush and floss. In between these routine steps, it’s important that your diet isn’t counteracting the hard work you’ve done! There are numerous acidic and dangerous foods and drinks that break down your smile much faster than other. Try to avoid intake of things like coffee, sweets, tomato-based products, and the like.
Looking for more helpful tips to improve your smile? Look no further than our Austin dentist. Give our office a call at (512) 291-1666 to schedule your consultation or appointment with our team. We’ll get your smile on the right track!
