Spring has arrived! And while many of us use this time of year to clean out the house, reorganise the wardrobe or reset a few healthy habits, it can also be a good reminder to give your oral health routine a refresh.
The good news is that looking after your teeth and gums doesn’t need to be complicated. A few simple habits, followed consistently, can make an important difference to your oral health.
Here are six things worth checking as you give your routine a spring clean.
1. Refresh Your Toothbrush and Brushing Routine
When did you last change your toothbrush?
The Australian Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush around every three months, or sooner if the bristles become worn or spread apart. Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush and avoid brushing too aggressively. Brushing harder doesn’t necessarily clean better and can be unnecessarily abrasive on your teeth and gums.
It’s also worth taking a fresh look at how you brush. The Australian Dental Association recommends brushing twice a day for two minutes each time using fluoride toothpaste.
Take the time to clean the outside, inside and chewing surfaces of your teeth, including along the gumline where plaque can accumulate. If two minutes feels longer than you thought, using the timer on your phone or electric toothbrush can help.
And here’s one habit many people don’t realise is important: after brushing with fluoride toothpaste, spit out the excess toothpaste rather than rinsing your mouth immediately with water. This allows fluoride to remain in contact with the teeth for longer.
2. Start Cleaning Between Your Teeth Every Day
Even excellent brushing can’t effectively clean all the surfaces between your teeth.
The Australian Dental Association recommends cleaning between your teeth once a day using floss or interdental brushes. This helps remove plaque and food debris from areas your toothbrush simply can’t reach.
The best method can vary depending on the spaces between your teeth, your gums and whether you have dental work such as crowns, bridges or orthodontic appliances. Your dental professional can show you the most appropriate technique and recommend the right type or size of interdental cleaner for your mouth.
If flossing or interdental cleaning has gradually disappeared from your routine, spring might be the perfect time to bring it back!
3. Don’t Forget Your Tongue
Your teeth aren’t the only surfaces in your mouth where bacteria and debris can accumulate.
The tongue can also harbour bacteria, food debris and dead cells, which may contribute to bad breath. Gently cleaning your tongue as part of your oral hygiene routine can help keep your mouth feeling fresh.
You can use your toothbrush or a tongue cleaner if you prefer. There’s no need to scrub aggressively. A gentle clean is enough, particularly towards the back of the tongue where build-up can occur.
Persistent bad breath, however, isn’t always simply an oral hygiene issue. If it continues despite good brushing, interdental cleaning and tongue cleaning, it’s worth mentioning it to your dental professional.
4. Give Your Dental Appliances a Spring Clean
If you use a retainer, night guard, sports mouthguard, whitening trays or clear aligners, don’t forget that these need looking after too.
Anything that spends extended time against your teeth needs to be cleaned regularly according to the care instructions provided for that particular appliance. It’s also worth checking for cracks, wear, discolouration, build-up or changes in fit.
Clear aligners and retainers should be kept clean before being placed back over freshly cleaned teeth, while mouthguards should be cleaned and allowed to dry properly between uses.
Avoid exposing dental appliances to very hot water unless you’ve specifically been instructed otherwise, as heat can distort some materials and affect the fit.
If an appliance has become damaged or no longer fits comfortably, bring it along to your next dental appointment so it can be checked.
And if your spring clean uncovers an old set of whitening trays, don’t simply restart whitening using leftover products. Whitening gels can have expiry dates, and your teeth and gums may have changed since the trays were made. Speak to your dental professional before beginning another course of whitening.
5. Refresh Your Food and Drink Habits
Spring is also a good opportunity to look at some of the everyday eating and drinking habits that affect your teeth.
Frequent exposure to sugary foods and drinks can increase the risk of tooth decay because bacteria in dental plaque use sugars to produce acids.
But sugar isn’t the only consideration.
Acidic drinks can contribute to dental erosion, where acids soften and gradually wear away tooth enamel. Soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit juices can all be acidic, and importantly, even sugar-free varieties can still be acidic.
How often you expose your teeth to sugar and acid matters too. Continually sipping a drink or snacking throughout the day can repeatedly expose your teeth before saliva has had an opportunity to help neutralise acids.
Make plain water your everyday drink where possible and limit frequent sugary or acidic drinks and snacks.
If you do have something acidic, rinsing your mouth with plain water afterwards can help. Avoid brushing immediately afterwards. Australian health guidance recommends waiting at least 30 minutes before brushing because the enamel can temporarily be softened by acid.
6. Check When You Last Visited Your Dentist
Finally, when was your last dental check-up?
It’s surprisingly easy for six months, a year or even longer to pass without realising it, particularly when nothing hurts.
However, dental examinations involve much more than checking whether you have a toothache or cavity. Depending on your individual needs, your dental professional may assess your teeth, gums, existing fillings and dental work, bite, tongue and other soft tissues of the mouth. Dental check-ups can also include screening for signs of oral cancer and identifying issues such as tooth grinding or gum disease.
X-rays may sometimes be recommended when clinically appropriate to provide information that can’t be seen during a visual examination.
Dental check-ups are commonly recommended every six months, although how often you should attend depends on your individual oral health needs. Your dental professional can advise you on the interval that is appropriate for you.
A Fresh Start for Your Oral Health
You don’t need to completely overhaul your routine to take better care of your smile.
Sometimes it’s simply replacing an old toothbrush, spending the full two minutes brushing, getting back into daily interdental cleaning, swapping a frequently sipped soft drink for water or finally booking the dental appointment you’ve been meaning to make.
This spring, take a few minutes to think about which of these six habits could use a refresh.
If it’s been a while since your last dental visit, contact Verve Dental to arrange a dental examination and give your oral health routine a fresh start this spring :)
