There’s a common misconception that oral health starts and ends with your dentist. The truth is that you’re largely responsible for maintaining yourself in this regard, and a dentist should ideally only be used for routine check-ups and emergency situations.
There’s a lot you can do to keep your teeth in a good condition at home, and you should put some effort into that to ensure that you keep those annoying dentist visits to a bare minimum.
Clean Your Whole Mouth Thoroughly
Brushing your teeth is just one part of proper oral hygiene. Your tongue and gums require a lot of attention too, especially if you’re like most people and tend to neglect them. Give your tongue a good, hard brushing to ensure that you scrape off any nasty bits from it and keep your breath as fresh as possible.
Go around the whole mouth as thoroughly as possible, instead of just giving your teeth a few quick brushes like some people tend to do. And do this for at least several minutes – though you start to get diminishing returns after a while.
Keeping Your Teeth Straight
You don’t always need to go to a dentist to get your teeth straightened, especially for smaller issues. At home clear aligners can work very well in those cases, and they don’t require any expertise to apply or use.
They will allow you to straighten your teeth in the comfort of your own home, saving you some time and money for a dentist visit. The only serious consideration here is to ensure that you get them from a reputable company like Straight My Teeth. They have an established record and get the best results; try the website assessment to see what treatment you need. This is about your health, after all.
Mouthwash – Yes or No?
Mouthwash is a bit of a controversial topic in some dental communities, but the common consensus leans towards the positive right now. You don’t necessarily have to use mouthwash on a daily basis – or even at all – but it can still add a bit to your overall dental hygiene, and help you get the most out of each session. It’s not expensive or difficult to acquire, and you can keep it tucked away in your medicine cabinet when you’re not using it. Give it a try and you never know, it might become a normal part of your daily hygiene routine.
It doesn’t take a lot to realise the full potential of your oral and dental health in the comfort of your own home, especially for more minor issues. Take the time to familiarise yourself with the necessary steps, find the right product for each one, and remember that you can still go to a dentist when you run into a trickier situation. But if you do things right, you will rarely have to make that kind of visit in the first place, and you’ll get to enjoy a bright, shining smile all throughout.
