How often should you brush your teeth? It seems like everyone should know, but there is a lot of information out there, and it can get confusing. Dentists and orthodontists agree that brushing and flossing are vital to excellent oral health.
How long should you brush your teeth? How often should you floss? Should I brush my teeth before or after breakfast? Timing is essential when it comes to brushing and flossing.
The Smith & Davis Orthodontics team has heard all these questions and more, and we have answers to help you keep your mouth healthy and teeth strong!
How Many Times a Day Should You Brush Your Teeth?
This may be one of the most common—and important—questions we get about oral hygiene. Some say it’s best to brush twice daily, once in the morning and once at night, while others say brushing after every meal is imperative.
At the bare minimum, you should brush twice a day, in the morning and right before bed. If you can brush after lunch, that’s even better. If you wear Invisalign, you must brush your teeth and rinse your trays before putting them back in after eating. Otherwise, you can trap plaque and bacteria against your teeth and in your trays, making it easier to get tooth decay.
With braces, not brushing can lead to decalcification around your brackets. That’s when the bacteria and plaque seep away the minerals in your enamel. This can cause white spots that show up once your braces are removed. Tooth decay can also delay your braces treatment while your cavities are being filled.
Should I Brush My Teeth Before or After Breakfast?
If you’re wearing braces or clear aligners, it would be better to brush after meals because food can get stuck in your braces and allow bacteria and plaque — that white film on your teeth — to begin eating away at your tooth’s enamel. The enamel is the hard outer shell that protects the living interior of your tooth.
How Long Should I Brush My Teeth?
You need to brush your teeth twice a day, with or without braces, for at least two minutes each time. You need to brush every surface of the tooth, paying attention to those harder-to-reach back teeth. You should brush your teeth after every meal if you wear braces or clear aligners.
Use a fluoride toothpaste as part of your oral hygiene routine. A manual toothbrush is fine, but an electric toothbrush usually does a better job cleaning teeth, especially around braces. Make sure your toothbrush has soft bristles. Harder bristles can wear down enamel and damage your gums.
Good oral hygiene reduces plaque and prevents plaque buildup, which can lead to bad breath, tooth decay, and gum disease.
What Is Tartar?
What is dental tartar on teeth? Tartar is a buildup of plaque that hardens on your teeth. A professional dentist must scrape it off to get rid of it.
Tartar builds up when you don’t brush or floss your teeth properly, accelerating tooth decay and gum disease. It traps bacteria beneath it, allowing it to sit and eat away at your enamel.
Make sure you brush and floss regularly to prevent tartar buildup, getting every surface of each tooth. Watch what you eat, as well. High-sugar foods such as candy, soft drinks, and desserts can add plaque and bacteria.
Whole fruits and raw vegetables help scrub your teeth clean while you eat. You can even chew sugarless gum with Xylitol, a sweetener that encourages saliva to clean your teeth!
How Often Should You Floss?
How often should you floss, and when should you floss? Your parents were probably told to floss after brushing, but this is incorrect! You should floss BEFORE you brush.
Why the change? Flossing before brushing moves plaque and food particles onto the front or back surfaces of the teeth, where they are easily removed during brushing. Otherwise, you leave plaque and food particles on the clean teeth you just brushed. Yuck!
How many times a day should you floss? You need to floss at least once a day. Some say flossing in the morning is better, while others suggest just before bed is best. Whichever you choose, just make sure you floss thoroughly with dental floss.
Water flossers are good to use at other times of the day, but they lack the scrubbing power of dental floss, so they should be used as a supplement, not a substitute.
If you have braces, getting around the archwires connecting the brackets can be challenging. We recommend using floss threaders. These thin, plastic pieces look like needles with giant eyes, or you can get the kind that looks like dental floss with plastic on one end.
You thread the floss above or below your archwire and through your teeth. Then, you can floss your teeth like normal. It may take a bit more time, but it’s worth it for great oral health!
When Should You Use Mouthwash?
What are the benefits of mouthwash? When should you use mouthwash? Do you need to use mouthwash after every brush? Mouthwash can have great benefits beyond just better breath — provided you use it correctly!
Fluoride mouthwash can provide extra protection for your enamel. Fluoride creates a chemical reaction with your saliva that allows it to penetrate your enamel and strengthen it.
It takes about half an hour for the fluoride to reach full strength, so you shouldn’t eat or drink anything for at least half an hour after you brush. The same goes for your mouthwash.
Most people make the mistake of using mouthwash immediately after brushing, but this only washes away the fluoride they had just applied to their teeth with toothpaste.
Use mouthwash at least half an hour after you brush. It might be a good idea to rinse with mouthwash after lunch if you can’t brush. As with toothpaste, don’t eat or drink anything after you use your mouthwash so the fluoride has time to work.
If you want that extra protection, make sure your mouthwash says it contains fluoride. Not all do, and they will only provide fresher breath. Be sure to read the label before you buy!
Braces Treatment in Rogers, AR
Oral hygiene is important to your health anytime, but it’s especially important during treatment with braces and Invisalign. You’re working so hard to create your perfect smile; you want it to look great when it’s finished, right?
Regular brushing and flossing will help with that. If you’re ready to start treatment with braces or Invisalign, set up a free consultation in Rogers, AR, to find out how we can help you get a beautiful new smile.
