Are You Paying Attention To Your Teeth?
When you brush your teeth in the morning and before bed, are you paying attention or just going through the motions? When an important routine becomes too routine, it may be time to take a step back and reevaluate. This is extra important when it comes to your oral health routine.
Keep reading to learn more!
How’s Your Oral Health?
Your daily oral hygiene routine may not be the most exciting thing you do all day, but it is one of the most important. If you’re not entirely present while you’re taking care of your teeth and gums, you could miss necessary steps or, even worse, damage your oral health. Let’s review the basics to help you get back on track if that’s what you need.
Brushing Your Teeth
This is not the time to tune out, because brushing your teeth incorrectly can be harmful to your oral health. First of all, if you’re not paying close attention to how long you’re brushing your teeth, you could leave cavity-causing plaque behind. You may also be brushing too hard without realizing it, which could actually damage tooth enamel and contribute to unhealthy gums.
Get Back to Basics
The best thing to do is brush your teeth gently, using circular motions, for two minutes each time. Brushing your teeth in sections — for 30 seconds a section — ensures you cover every tooth, front and back. If you want to keep your teeth and mouth fresh and clean all day, make a habit of brushing after lunch too. We promise your dentist will notice at your next checkup.
Flossing
A surefire way to damage your oral health is to skip flossing or floss incorrectly. If you don’t floss at all, or only intermittently, you should know that you are not cleaning about 40% of the tooth surface. That’s a lot of space for plaque to cause decay and gum disease. If you’re a daily flosser, but you’re not careful about your technique, you could irritate or even cut sensitive gum tissue. Additionally, threading the floss between your teeth but not moving it up and down along both edges is not enough to remove the plaque that can irritate your gums. We also want to caution you against snapping the floss down to the gumline, as this can traumatize your gums and even cause bleeding.
Get Back to Basics
Flossing properly takes practice and requires attention. You should always be gentle when working the floss between your teeth and mindful of your sensitive gums. And remember, the floss should touch the teeth on both sides. It is essential to floss between every tooth, including the back teeth. Don’t forget to floss behind your back molars (or wisdom teeth if you still have them) to prevent gum disease.
Stay Focused on Your Oral Health
Brushing and flossing every morning and night is important. Even if you’ve been at it for 50 years, every tooth deserves your undivided attention. Distractions, like scrolling on your phone, rushing around the house getting the kids ready, or watching the news, can lead to mistakes that increase your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. You may also miss some important signs that you’re experiencing a problem with your oral health.
If you have questions about your oral health, or you’re due for a checkup, call our office located in Spring Hill, FL. We’re here to help you achieve your best, healthiest smile!
