Hygiene, that is. *winks*I had an appointment with my dentist just recently (ok, fine, some months back), and after a round of scaling, my dentist told me my teeth looked clean, but my problem was I had heaps of tartar all around my interdental spaces (basically the space between my teeth), which has caused the gap to widen.
Which got me thinking.
I brush my teeth plenty often (two or three times a day), and gargle with mouthwash every now and then. And once in a while, I use to floss as well. But that, apparently, wasn't quite enough to keep my teeth clean and healthy.
So what else should I be doing?
My dentist recommended interdental brushes and told me to brush between my teeth where the brush could go through (see picture) to keep my teeth tartar free. So these days, I do: 1) interdental brushing, 2) brush my teeth, and 3) gargle with mouthwash (sometimes). And 4) brush my tongue too. So much cleaning for so small an area, don't you think?
And we are told we should be making regular visits to our dentists about twice a year.
Which leads me to wonder... what are your oral cleaning habits? How many steps do you have in keeping your oral hygiene? And when was the last time you paid a visit to the doctor with the drill? =P
I know this isn't exactly beauty related, but everyone wants beautiful teeth, no?
(Note: Kindly consult your dentist for more information on whether you need to be using interdental brushes.)
5 comments:
i visited dentist last last year and i had a good scolding from the dentist because of all the dirt clogged in between my teeth. =/ it was so painful after all the drilling and i have not had the guts to visit again this year =/
i did my first scaling this year (yucks I know) but then it's good la. i experience no pain or anything and it wasn't scary. i'd be going back every 6-8 months to check.
and usually damn teeth always need to fill each time i go. LOL.
and yah, me brush teeth n tongue and gargle with mouth wash! flossing too!
I try and brush my teeth after every time I eat...very tricky for a college student! It usually ends up being just in the morning at in the evening. For between the teeth cleaning, I floss once every evening...you'd be surprised at how much gunk can get stuck in there! I find little bits of food on my floss every night (gross, I know [but imagine how much grosser it'd be if I left it in there to rot!]).
I try and use a mouthwash with antiseptic (for gum health) but I find it kind of drying so I attempt to avoid. I would love to get one of those between the teeth brushes too! I bet I could use it clean along the gum line well.
Interdental brushes are great - but the tend to push you gum up, so your teeth gets "longer"... maybe not first chose for a young person (if you're not in a special need for it). Flossing once a day are great to prevent smelly bacterias and/or tartar between your teeth. And use a tooth brush with soft bristles, brush for 2 min each time. Good luck!
/Dental hygenist student from Europe
Well, aside from dental visits twice a year, I have a habit of brushing my teeth thrice a day, especially before bedtime. I also use mouthwash for extra cleaning. Yeah, we all want to have beautiful teeth, so you need to prioritize that since interdental brushes were added to your daily oral regimen.
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