Useful General Oral Health Tips & Tricks

Daunting. That is one word a great deal of folks use to describe what it’s prefer to keep their family’s oral health up to par. Have more than one kid? That word may become closer to ‘impossible’. It could see a never ending battle to keep sugar away from freshly brushed teeth.

Ever had that mad lavatory rush for the bedtime routine? You understand what I mean – more toothpaste in the sink than what reaches the kids’ mouths, your son using the floss to hang your daughter’s Barbie dolls by their ponytails, and no one liking the particular flavor of Listerine you bought this week.

Listed below are a few ideas to protect your family’s oral health:

General Oral Health Guidelines

• Make sure everybody in your family has their own toothbrush, and stress the importance of each and every person only using the toothbrush they are meant to.
• Clean your toothbrushes regularly. You could soak them in bleach or peroxide solution to disinfect them. Let each brush soak for 30 minutes for a thorough cleansing. Rinse and wipe every brush prior to using after disinfection.
• Replace your brushes every three months or whenever they begin to show bristle wear.
• Hard bristled brushes may cause damage and wear on both gums and tooth enamel. Choose soft or medium instead.
• Make it a habit to floss so your kids will follow suit – at least once a day.
• Sometimes brushing is not an option. In cases like these chewing on sugarless gum can help – just make sure it IS sugarless!
• After eating, make sure everyone in the family knows the bacteria and particles that can be left behind and how they could be harmful. Teach them how to counteract it too (when brushing isn’t an option) – water!
• Avoid grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw when upset or angry. These activities may damage your jaw and teeth over time.
• When you are brushing, you would like to make sure you toothpaste is effective – so check for the ADA stamp when purchasing.
• Use a fluoride rinse twice a day to help reinforce the strength of tooth enamel.
• Dentists are there for a reason. Make sure you and your family have regular preventative care visits.
• Any difficulties with teeth or gums needs to be checked by a dentist right away – waiting may make it too late to save the tooth in question.

New habits are formed only over time. Don’t try to do them all at once – your family may balk at too much of a change. Try to incorporate one or two at a time, and add others after a few weeks.