5 Effective Ways to Overhaul Your Oral Hygiene Routine

Today

While most of us aspire to a celebrity-worthy pearly white smile, and will often spend a small fortune on whitening toothpastes, kits and treatments to achieve one, we can tend to overlook other important aspects of oral care and that's a big mistake. After all, what's the point in having pearly white gnashers if you also have rather rancid breath, inflamed gums, and or the beginnings of cavities lurking. 

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It's important that your oral health routine focus on more than just the colour of your teeth. Here are five very easy to implement changes you can make to your oral hygiene routine today to get a healthier smile, and not just a whiter one. 

1. Practice Some Tongue Care

Your tongue is the single largest source of bacteria in your mouth, meaning it's a big contributor to bad breath and other oral nasties. And yet when most people clean their teeth they fail to clean their tongue, and it's very important to do so. 

Yes, we know it sounds a bit weird but it's not a hard habit to get into. Some toothbrushes do come with a built-in tongue cleaner on the back, or you can buy an inexpensive tongue scraper. Either tool will strip your tongue of the excess gunk that builds up, but for an even better result follow up a scraping with a real brush of the tongue with toothbrush and toothpaste as well. 
 

2. Forget the Hipster Toothpastes

Chances are your Mum and Dad have had you brushing with a fluoride toothpaste since you were a kid. But perhaps recently you've been noticing a number of new 'all-natural' toothpastes have been appearing that claim to do a better job at maintaining oral health than their traditional fluoride enhanced counterparts. 

The simple fact is that they don't though. And while they may have cool packaging and funky, fun sounding flavours, we really do recommend sticking with the fluoride paste you grew up with. Fluoride guards your teeth from plaque and decay by strengthening the enamel and it's still a must in any effective oral hygiene routine. 
 

3. Keep on Flossing

There's been a big debate of late over whether or not people really need to floss. It was opened up after a report was published that claimed research had shown that flossing had been overrated and that brushing might be enough. 

Almost every dentist disagrees, but you don't even have to take their word for it. Even the fanciest, priciest toothbrush can't get all those little bits of food that get stuck between your teeth out, and if they stay where they are they'll begin to rot, leading to bad breath at best and cavities and infection at worst. Since flossing is a very effective way to get rid of between the teeth gunk on a daily basis to keep on using it really is just common sense. 
 

4. Stay Hydrated

Bad breath - especially that rather potent 'morning breath' most of us are familiar with is, in large part, due to dehydration. When you sleep the production of cleansing saliva is decreased, as is the case when you are super-thirsty. 
 

5. Don't Ditch Your Dental Appointments

Yes, we know, you're busy. And you really don't like going to the dentist. And because you do brush and floss every day like a good boy or girl you think your teeth are in pretty good shape, so it's probably OK to skip a check up this time around. But, no, it's really not. 

In addition to that great deep cleaning you'll get, your dentist, as an expert in gum health as well, will be able to spot the signs of periodontal disease that it's harder for you to notice (until pain, swelling and/or infection sets in) and address it before it can cause any lasting damage. And although it sounds a bit morbid to mention it often the only way an oral cancer is diagnosed is after its symptoms are spotted by an eagle-eyed dentist. 

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The Emergency Dentist Says:

Good oral hygiene is about more than the shade of pearly white you can achieve with your 'brightening' toothpaste. An attractive mouth is one that is healthy as well as good looking, something that the tips we've shared here, really will help you achieve. 
 

The 'White Teeth Diet'

Take It With a (White) Grain of Salt

Scrap the Atkins, Raw Food or Paleo Diets, we love the White Teeth Diet. We'd like to share with you how you can eat your self to a whiter smile.

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When considering a diet that is friendly to keeping your teeth white, it is just as important to avoid certain foods as it is to eat others. It's a little crazy but if you want to maintain that healthy white smile you were born with, or paid for, a few simple practices can help you out. There are three factors to keep in mind on this diet, chewing, saliva production and staining They all help to keep teeth healthy and white. Please keep in mind this isn't a whole diet you should live by, it's just a few simple steps you can take to keep teeth white. Let's start:

Do The More Often:

1. Apples, carrots, cauliflower, green beans and celery. These are the firmer, crunchier foods that require you to chew more. They act similarly to a toothbrush and scrub your teeth while you chew.

2. Hard cheeses. Similar to crunchy fruit and veg, they help clean the teeth by removing particles and preventing plaque build-up.

3. Citrus fruits like grapefruit, lime, lemon and oranges help rinse your teeth naturally while you eat, encouraging saliva production which protects the teeth.

4. Dairy products of course contribute to keeping teeth white. The lactic acid in dairy products will also help to prevent decay.

5. Water. The purest way to wash away any foods that potentially stain your teeth.

Do These Less Often:

1. Coffee and tea will stain your teeth.

2. Soft drink such as Coke and sports drinks will stain your teeth and cause decay.

3. Red wine is one of the worst for staining your teeth. That red wine smile isn't so cute either.

4. White wine causes tooth decay. Just like red wine, white wine has higher than normal pH levels which increases your loss of enamel.

5. Fruits like blackberries, pomegranates and blueberries will obviously stain the teeth.

6. Sauces like soy or currie will also stain the teeth and aid decay.
   -  Hot Tip 1. Anything that stains your shirt will stain your teeth.
   -  Hot Tip 2. If you can't give up your coloured drinks, use a straw.

At The #EmergencyDentist Sydney we couldn't live without wine! #AfterHours of course. Some of us even drink our coffee through a straw, yes it's as weird as it looks. But, drinking in moderation, properly brushing and flossing and regular check-ups will keep your teeth healthy and strong.

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The #EmergencyDentist Says:

For those of us who aren't lucky enough to be born with a pearly white smile, and for those who love a diet full of teeth-staining foods and drink, a regular clean or whitening from us can help you out.

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