3 Steps To Simplify Your At-Home Oral Care

The feeling of skipping the dentist is like playing hooky on test day because you know you didn’t study and you know it’s going to show. We’ve been there – the internal shame associated with the dreadful inquiries of the dental hygienist, “so how often have you been flossing?” Teeth are a prominent facial feature yet we dedicate the least amount of effort to them, relative to our skin care. But just like our skin, proactive consistency in oral care can protect teeth from suffering irreparable damage that adds up over the years. Since there is no catching up once it’s too late, we’re here to help with easy steps to better dental care that will have you acing your next dental exam.

Floss + Scrape

The trick is to floss gently (add to cart: CocoFloss in Cara Cara Orange) before you brush so the bristles of your brush can reach the tiny spaces of your teeth where the sun don’t shine. Next, using a tongue scraper like Dr. Tung’s (if you prefer disposables, BreathRx comes in an 80-pack) gets rid of any food residue stuck on your tongue, which can cause bad breath and a sticky mouth feel. This tool works more diligently than using your toothbrush on your tongue because two words: no gagging. After these two initial steps, follow up with brushing with a fluoride toothpaste.

Switch To Fluoride

If “flouride” is a term that enters and leaves your mind only when you’re donning a dental napkin for a total of 90 minutes a year, we don’t blame you. But if you care about keeping the enamel of your teeth strong, flouride helps prevent tooth decay and hardens tooth enamel. A great flouride-based toothpaste like Sensodyne Pronamel further reduces the likelihood of getting cavities and counteracts the effects of acid attacks (think coffee and tomatoes, not necessarily together).

Power Toothbrush

Besides the fact that electric toothbrushes are less wear and tear on your wrists than manual brushes, technologically-advanced brushes like Oral-B Electric Toothbrushes have pressure sensors to alert you when you’re brushing too hard (we’ve been awakened). The power bristles effectively remove plaque from hard to reach areas and can last for over one year. If you prefer technical with a side of sleek in design, we dare you to try Quip – stronger and sleeker than any of your ex-brushes with changeable brush heads.