A professional cleaning gets your teeth back to a clean starting point. What happens over the next few months is mostly up to you. The good news is that the habits doing the heavy lifting are simple, and you probably know most of them already. It’s doing them every day that counts.
01Brushing, twice a day
Brush twice a day for about two minutes each time. A soft-bristled brush is plenty. Scrubbing hard doesn’t clean any better, and over the years it can wear at your gums and enamel. Angle the bristles toward the gumline, use small gentle strokes, and give the inside surfaces and back teeth the same attention as the front.
Manual and electric brushes both work when they’re used well. Some people find an electric brush makes it easier to be thorough, especially if their hands aren’t as steady as they used to be. Replace the brush or brush head every three months or so, or sooner if the bristles have splayed. If you’re not sure which toothpaste suits you, ask us at your next visit.
02Cleaning between your teeth
A toothbrush can’t reach the tight spaces between teeth, and that’s where a lot of gum trouble starts. Clean between your teeth once a day. Floss works. So do small interdental brushes, which many people find easier, especially around wider gaps, bridges or braces. A water flosser can help too if you have a lot of dental work.
The best tool for cleaning between your teeth is the one you’ll actually pick up every night.
If your gums bleed a little when you start, keep going. The bleeding often settles within a week or two of regular cleaning as the gums calm down. If it doesn’t, mention it at your next visit.
03Food, drinks and dry mouth
How often you have something sugary matters more than how much. Each time, the bacteria in plaque make acid that softens enamel for a while afterwards. Sipping a sweet coffee or a juice over a whole afternoon keeps that going for hours. Having it with a meal and following it with water is much easier on your teeth.
Saliva protects your teeth, so a dry mouth raises the risk of decay. Some medications cause it. Drinking water through the day helps, and it’s worth telling us about any new medications so we can keep an eye on things.
04When to call us sooner
You don’t have to wait for your next cleaning if something changes. Get in touch if you notice:
- Gums that bleed regularly, or look swollen or red
- A tooth that’s newly sensitive to hot, cold or sweet things
- A sore, lump or patch in your mouth that hasn’t healed after two weeks
- Bad breath or a bad taste that won’t go away
Usually it’s something small. Either way, it’s better to have a look early than to wait and wonder.