When it comes to mouth care, it often seems like brushing and flossing are all you need to be on the safe side. If that’s all you, you’re missing out on powerful techniques that will improve your oral health and prevent frustrating dental issues like cavities, bad breath, and toothaches.
If you’re experiencing tooth pain, this in-depth guide explains what to do and when to consider it an emergency. Remember, you don’t want to ignore proper mouth care until you start experiencing dental issues because then, the damage is usually already done.
Ready to take oral health to the next level? Here are seven little-known techniques to level up your mouth care routine:
1. Avoid Brushing Too Often
Hearing that you shouldn’t brush too often may seem counterintuitive, right? That’s because it appears that the more you brush, the better. You can remove food particles and plaque buildup regularly to keep your mouth as clean as possible.
However, brushing too often erodes the enamel, making it weak and susceptible to acid attacks from bacterial waste. It can also irritate or damage your gums. The solution is to brush effectively, using the proper technique, and do so no more than twice a day.
Instead of brushing after each meal, swish plain water vigorously to remove food particles and wash away excess sugar and acids.
2. Try Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is an ancient oral care practice that originated in India and involves swishing oil around the mouth for a few minutes. The practice draws out and dissolves toxins and bacteria in the liquid oil.
By reducing harmful bacteria in your mouth through oil pulling, you reduce plaque buildup, which is responsible for dental problems such as cavities, gum disease, bad breath, and gum inflammation.
You can practice oil pulling with different oil varieties. However, coconut oil is the most popular and is supported by studies that show its effectiveness in combating Streptococcus mutans.
3. Get a Tongue Scrapper
The mouth is home to about 700 species of bacteria, some of which are harmless and others harmful. Your tongue harbors plenty of bacteria that contribute to tooth decay and bad breath. As such, it needs proper, regular scrubbing to remove bacteria and food debris.
While some use a toothbrush on the tongue when brushing, it’s not an effective way of removing microbial film from the tongue. Instead, use a tongue scraper to clean your tongue with back-to-front motions and adequate rinsing.
4. Brush With Baking Soda
Baking soda is a known cleaning and baking agent around he home. But it also has some amazing benefits for your mouth. When you clean your mouth with baking soda, it:
- Reduces dental biofilm due to abrasiveness. These are colonies of bacteria that damage the teeth and gums.
- Lowers acidic conditions in the mouth by increasing the pH of the mouth. Reduced acids in the mouth make it challenging for bacteria to erode the enamel.
- Removes stains on the tooth surface due to its natural whitening properties.
5. Try Interdental Brushes
Flossing is effective in reaching between the teeth and removing plaque and food debris. But have you tried interdental brushes? These are tiny, easy-to-use brushes designed to access wider spaces between the teeth.
Interdental brushes can be more effective than floss in some cases, but they are not a replacement. For better results, use both to tackle hard-to-reach areas.
6. Use a Mouthwash
As you’ve probably noticed by now, the main culprit in oral diseases is the harmful bacteria in your mouth. You want to keep their population as low as possible to avoid issues such as gingivitis, plaque buildup, bad breath, and cavities, among others.
Mouthwashes or mouthrinses are an excellent addition to your oral care routine, as they contain the antiseptic agents needed to kill harmful microbes present in the mouth.
Keep in mind that there are cosmetic and therapeutic mouthwashes. The cosmetic types have no other use than helping with a pleasant breath. Ask your dentist to prescribe therapeutic or medicated mouthwashes, as these fight off bacteria.
7. Use a Fine-Bristled Toothbrush
It may seem like firm-bristled toothbrushes are more effective at dislodging food debris and cleaning the teeth. However, similar to brushing too often, using hard bristles can damage the enamel and irritate the gums.
Dentists recommend soft-bristled toothbrushes to clean below the gumline more effectively and preserve the enamel.
If you rely on a firm-bristled toothbrush to scrape away at plaque, there are better ways of achieving that, such as:
- Brushing with fluoride toothpaste
- Flossing regularly
- Using mouthwash to control microbes
- Going for dental cleanings.
Final Thoughts
There is more to mouth care than the basic brushing and flossing. If you want to take things to the next level and enjoy a fresher breath, a whiter smile, and an overall excellent oral health, consider adding the above lesser-known techniques to your daily routine.
