Taking care of your teeth doesn’t have to be a total nightmare, but it’s important to realize that just brushing once a day won’t cut it! There are plenty of ways you could be harming your teeth without realizing it, so it’s imperative to clean your teeth as regularly as possible in order to maintain proper dental hygiene.
If you’ve been struggling to find a better way to care for your teeth, here are just a few ideas to help you get back on track:
- Try out different teeth cleaning kits and products. There are tons of different oral health products on the market today, many of which are available right from your drugstore shelves. Between different types of toothbrushes, to tongue cleaning products, to dental floss picks — you have a lot to choose from. Keep in mind that not every product is necessary for your cleaning routine, and a product that helps someone else may not help you as much. Just experiment and see what’s out there!
- Avoid soft drinks, sports drinks, and sugar-filled juices as much as possible. Many dental hygiene experts argue that these drinks are more dangerous to teeth than candy or cookies because every time you take a sip, you’re coating your teeth in a sugary liquid which can dry right on the tooth enamel. Over time, this sugar will cause tooth enamel to wear down which can lead to a variety of dental hygiene problems. It’s advised to use a straw when consuming sugary drinks so that you limit how much liquid comes in contact with your teeth.
- Don’t clean too much. Believe it or not, it’s actually possible to over-clean your teeth. The enamel covering your teeth can easily wear away if you use a toothbrush with hard bristles or if you use multiple cleaning products more often than advised. Even whitening strips — which make your teeth look whiter and, therefore, healthier — can cause the enamel to disintegrate. Instead of going crazy with the cleaning, find a few products that really work for you and just maintain a regular cleaning schedule.
Of course, this should all accompany regular visits to your dentist’s office, too! There’s really no reason to fear the dentist, especially if you make it a priority to keep your teeth clean in between those visits.
