My favorite oral hygiene products!

I never really knew how important my teeth were to my health until I started my dental assisting program. Poor oral hygiene has been linked to heart problems, dementia or other mental confusion, and increased respiratory infections.
Since then I have payed more attention to how I brush my teeth and what kind of products I use for my personal oral hygiene.
These are products I personally like to use and what I recommend to others.

FLUORIDE RINSE:

You can find this at any grocery store I know at Wal-Mart they sell it for about $5-$6. I like it because one of the first ingredients is fluoride. In some areas there is fluoride in the water, but where I live there isn't, so it is extremely important to include fluoride in your daily ritual. You should rinse your mouth with a fluoride rinse at least twice a day for 30 seconds or go by what the instructions say on the bottle.

Fluoride protects teeth from decay and cavities in two ways. When bacteria in the mouth combine with sugars, acid is produced that can erode tooth enamel (The hard mineralized surface of teeth. the white part that you can see.)  and damage the teeth. Fluoride can protect teeth from demineralization that is caused by the acid. If teeth have already been damaged by acid, fluoride accumulates in the demineralized areas and begins strengthening the enamel - a process called remineralization.

TOOTH BRUSH:

This is the Oral B Spinbrush. You can get this online at Rite Aid for about $75 but it doesn't include the red light or the extra brushes. I bought mine at Wal-Mart for about $100 with the Wal-Mart warranty so you can take it back if it breaks and get a new one.

 The whole point of brushing your teeth is to remove plaque completely at least 1-2 times daily or every 12 hours. What I like about this toothbrush in particular is that it easily scrubs plaque from your teeth without you having to scrub back and fourth like you would with a manual toothbrush. Another thing I like about this toothbrush is that it has a red light on it and it lights up when your brushing too hard. It also times you 2 minutes for your entire mouth.

Brushing too hard and for too long can cause gum recession and it can also wear your teeth down, and after so long it will weaken the enamel. Don't listen to the ads and the TV commercials when they say that their product can regrow enamel. Once enamels gone it's gone it cannot be regrown. 

So you need to protect it by brushing correctly and also like I mentioned above using fluoride will protect your enamel and prevent cavities and future dental problems.

ALSO!

Don't forget to change the brush on it every 3 months just like you would a manual tooth brush because once the bristles of any tooth brush start to poke out to the sides it will not brush the plaque away accurately.

Also make sure you brush your tongue lightly with your tooth brush after you've finished brushing your teeth. Your tongue is like a sponge and it absorbs all of the nasty bacteria you accumulate in a 12 hour period.

FLOSS:



You can get this floss at any drug store or grocery store. At Wal-Mart it's only about $1.

I like it because its affordable. Really any floss works as long as you use it correctly!

Please make sure you are flossing twice a day before brushing your teeth. What flossing does is it loosens up the plaque hidden between the teeth. Not flossing will cause cavities to form between the teeth, tartar build up, and gum inflammation. I didn't know up until a year ago how to properly floss my teeth. You need to be sure to gently run the floss between your teeth and your gum line. Here's a picture to demonstrate.

Be sure you are getting between all of your teeth make your own ritual so you don't forget any teeth. If you are not used to flossing your gums will bleed and hurt for the first week or so, but if you keep up on it your gums will get used to it, and you will start to see an improvement in the health of your gums.

TOOTH PASTE:

This tooth paste you can buy at any grocery, or drug store. At Wal-Mart it costs about $4-$5. I like this tooth paste because it makes my breath very fresh and it gets the job done.

Any tooth paste will work as long as it has fluoride in it. Don't rinse your mouth out with water after your done brushing it removes all of the fluoride you have just brushed on to your teeth. Just rinse your mouth out with a fluoride rinse.

If you floss, brush, and rinse with a fluoride rinse twice a day or every 12 hours then you will spend less time in the dental chair, save money because dental work is expensive!, and feel better.

Not taking care of your teeth and gums= Bad health overall!