If you rinse after brushing, use mouthwash! What else can you learn during National Dental Hygiene Month?
After months of breathless anticipation by children and grown-ups alike, October is finally here. And what does October mean? Halloween, and free candy! But October isn’t only about this spooky holiday. Did you know that it is also National Dental Hygiene Month? Let’s learn more about what you can do to improve both dental hygiene and overall oral health!
Four Techniques for Improving Dental Hygiene
National Dental Hygiene Month is intended to help increase awareness of how important clean, healthy teeth are. If you’re hesitant to show off your smile, there could be several reasons why. But with the assistance of Annapolis Dental Care, you don’t have to be afraid anymore. Brighten your smile with these four techniques for improving dental hygiene:
- Brushing
- Flossing
- Rinsing
- Chewing
This year’s awareness month is meant to spotlight these four essential techniques. But first, let’s take another look at what the American Dental Association suggest you should do when you brush your teeth.
The Best Way to Brush Your Teeth
- Position your toothbrush so that it faces the gums at a forty-five-degree angle.
- Use gentle, short strokes to scrub the brush head across your entire tooth.
- Address the outside of the tooth before moving to the inner surface. Don’t forget about the part of your tooth you use to chew!
- Move your toothbrush so that it is vertical and can better reach the inside surfaces of your teeth. Brush up-and-down instead of side-to-side.
- Remember to brush your tongue as well! Cleaning your tongue gets rid of bacteria that can give you bad breath.
Suggestions for Improving Oral Health
To improve your oral health, you should also clean the spaces between your teeth. Not only will doing this clean up your teeth and gums, but it will also get rid of plaque buildup, too. If left alone, the plaque will become tartar, which will only cause more problems for your dental hygiene.
On top of brushing and flossing, you should also stick to a routine that includes rinsing with mouthwash. While you might rinse with water or spit out the toothpaste once you’ve finished brushing, water often isn’t enough. Regularly rinsing with mouthwash can help forestall tooth decay and prevent any infections forming in your mouth.
Another good way to keep tooth decay from taking over your mouth is to chew some sugar-free gum. Chewing this gum will activate saliva production in your mouth, and that saliva can wash away food debris, harmful bacteria, and help improve infection control inside your mouth as well.
Get Better Dental Hygiene with Annapolis Dental Center
Whether you need a tooth extraction or just want to get a dental health check-up, Annapolis Dental Center has the expertise and compassion to work with you to improve your oral health and get you smiling again. Your comfort and health are our top priorities, so we go above and beyond to make our patients happy with the services that they receive. To set up your appointment today, give us a call at (410) 571-5014 or visit us online. For more oral health tips for you and the whole family, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and check us out on Yelp!