This article provides instructions for a basic home oral hygiene routine that will help people prevent cavities, gingivitis and gum disease.

On average, people living in the United States spend only about 17 seconds brushing their teeth! In this article, we will explain how maintaining a simple oral hygiene routine will not only protect your teeth and gums from decay and disease, but also leave your mouth feeling amazingly clean and fresh, while decreasing the likelihood of having embarrassingly bad breath. These simple instructions are recommended to be followed 2-3 times daily.

What Routine Should I follow for Basic Oral Hygiene?

• FLOSS! The dental Colorado Springs healthcare community highly recommend that you floss your teeth every single day! This step plays an important role in dental health because, unlike bristles, floss is an interdental cleaner. This means that it cleans the harder to reach spaces between the teeth and the gap between the base of the teeth and the gums. While a mouthwash can kill bacteria that form plaque, it cannot remove the bits of food that can lodge in these places, encouraging bacteria to flourish!

• SCRAPE! Gently scraping your tongue with a tongue scraper will aid in removing the mucus layer which protects bacteria living on your tongue! Be careful not to scrape too violently; be gentle but firm.

• BRUSH! Using a little more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste, brush your teeth for at least two minutes, being sure to brush the inside and outside of your tooth row and gum line. Also, cover more than just your teeth! Gently clean the roof of your mouth and the insides of your cheeks. Bacteria are sticky critters and can populate every conceivable surface, nook and cranny in your mouth.

• RINSE! Between brushes, take a mouthful of ADA-approved anti-bacterial mouthwash and rinse for at least 60-90 seconds in order to cover all surfaces. Do not rinse your mouth with water after using a mouthwash. You don’t want to dilute its anti-bacterial action or fresh minty aftertaste!

Remember to keep your bottle of oral rinse and your tube of toothpaste out of the sun and tightly closed. Dentists in Colorado Springs provide a body of evidence advocating that a good oral hygiene routine not only keeps your smile beautiful, youthful and healthy, but it can also help prevent you from developing serious diseases! It is also recommended to go to your local dentist and oral hygienitst for a general check-up and professional cleaning twice a year. Your dentist can offer you routine cleanings which will aid in your effort to keep your mouth and teeth happy, hygienic and beautiful.

A Final Note

Brushing and flossing daily are essential for maintaining a good standard of oral health, but professional cleanings are necessary too! Your home efforts simply aren’t enough to prevent accumulations of plaque from hardening to form cavity-forming tartar. Routine cleanings, also known as ‘prophylaxis’, are designed to preserve dental health by removing harmful bacteria, plaque and tartar from below the gum line, helping to prevent the development and spread of gum disease.