Tackling Your Dental Treatment Plan

Your teeth never feel better than they do right after a thorough cleaning at the dentist office. However, just days after you've seen the dentist, that "new tooth" feeling goes away and you're often back to your regular care routine. If you want that freshly cleaned look and feel to last longer, here are some things you can do. 

1. Brush your tongue.

Brushing your tongue helps to remove more bacteria from your mouth in general. Your tongue may seem smooth, but it actually is covered with bumpy taste buds. Some people have cracks in their tongue. These cracks and the valleys between taste buds are perfect places for bacteria to settle, and it won't go away until you brush it off. 

Bacteria feeding on the sugars in your mouth is what gives teeth that "fuzzy" feeling after a few hours. If you brush your tongue when you brush your teeth, your mouth will stay fresher longer. 

2. Stop snacking.

Snacking is one of the quickest ways to kill that fresh feeling. Your teeth should ideally stay clean all day. You brush after a morning meal, and your teeth stay clean until lunch time. Rinsing or a quick brush after lunch keeps teeth clean until dinner. Brushing after dinner keeps teeth clean until breakfast the next day. This way, your teeth have minimal exposure to food sugars, and your regularly remove the bacteria that feed on food residue. 

Snacking ruins these clean breaks during the day, and almost constant grazing means you're exposing your teeth (and the bacteria in your mouth) to a constant supply of food. The same goes for drinks. Sipping sweetened tea, sugary sodas, or juices throughout the day is worse than simply drinking these drinks in a single sitting. 

3. Increase your water intake.

Dehydration takes a toll on your teeth. Your mouth becomes dry and saliva production goes down. When this happens, bacteria are able to better settle on your teeth, and the fresh feeling from your cleaning is ruined. Persistent dry mouth eventually causes severe tooth decay. 

Many people drink beverages other than water throughout the day. Try to do a day where you only drink water. All other beverages have acids, tannins, and sugars that weaken your teeth and start the process of building up plaque. 

4. Give yourself enough time to brush.

A quick brush in the morning is not enough to keep your teeth feeling clean. Dedicate a few minutes per brushing sessions to slowly and carefully brush. Use circular motions instead of side to side or up and down motions to make sure your getting the spots near the gums that are usually the first to see build-up of plaque. Rushing through brushing not only makes it easier to miss key spots, but fast brushing is usually harsh, which can upset your gums and cause them to recede. 

Don't skip flossing. If you don't have time to floss during your bathroom routine, keep a pack of floss in your briefcase or your purse so you can floss during a bathroom break or after you eat lunch at work. 

5. Eat your veggies. 

Finally, the types of food you eat matter for your tooth health. Some foods, like pasta, crackers, and white rice, turn to sugar while you chew them. This is why each meal should have some crunchy vegetables and fruits to help "scrub" the teeth during a meal. Celery, apples, and crunchy carrots can help to balance out the effects of more starchy foods that can settle on the teeth. 

For more information on teeth cleaning, contact a dentist in your area.