A guide to good home care and how to brush and floss properly

Many people do not think much about their teeth until they are sitting in the dentist’s chair, but the key to a healthy smile starts at home. Your first line of defense against cavities and gum disease is daily brushing and flossing to help maintain fresh breath and a bright smile. Understanding the fundamentals of home dental care is the first step toward protecting your oral health, and the information below will help you better navigate your daily routine for maximum results. After all, it is one of the best daily investments you can make in your overall health since a healthy body begins with a healthy mouth.

However, even for the most avid flosser, the best toothbrush cannot reach every surface of your teeth. The dental practice of Danielle Akry, DDS, in Los Angeles is committed to maintaining a healthy smile through gentle, expert care. We will help you explore home dental care options to keep you healthy.

How to Brush Your Teeth Properly at Home

The technique of brushing is as important as the frequency. Many people brush as though they are scrubbing a kitchen counter, putting their all into it to get it clean. Your mouth, however, is delicate. In fact, effective brushing relies on proper technique rather than force.

Most people average less than 60 seconds at the sink. Two minutes provides enough time to sufficiently break up the plaque, the sticky film of bacteria that constantly builds on your teeth on all surfaces. This process, if hurried, results in the formation of thick bacterial colonies, especially on the hard-to-reach back molars where decay often starts.

Dental health practitioners recommend the Modified Bass Method as an effective way to clean without causing damage. This method will concentrate on cleaning the sulcus, the shallow space between your teeth and gums where most plaque accumulates. With this method, you should hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle, facing straight towards your gum line. Gently move the bristles in small circles. This gently moves the bristles under the gum line to remove any trapped bacteria.

Furthermore, sweep or roll the brush away from the gums, both downward (upper teeth) and upward (lower teeth), after a few circles to remove debris. Spend about 30 seconds brushing each quadrant, taking about 30 seconds in each quadrant. A mental timer or an electric brush with an inbuilt pacing signal can help ensure no area is missed.

More pressure does not equal cleaner teeth. Actually, aggressive scrubbing is extremely destructive. Excessive pressure or a brush with stiff bristles can cause:

• Enamel abrasion — This refers to simply grinding away the outer enamel of your teeth. After the enamel is removed, it cannot regenerate, and the dentin, which is yellow and sensitive, will be exposed. This structural loss renders the tooth unable to protect itself effectively.
• Gum recession — Aggressive brushing can contribute to gum recession over time. This exposes vulnerable tooth roots, leading to severe temperature sensitivity and an increased risk of root cavities.

Always use a soft-bristle or extra-soft bristle brush, and apply even pressure with the tips of the bristles.

Moreover, many people make the mistake of brushing right after a meal or snack, especially after eating or drinking foods or beverages that are high in acid, like coffee, citrus, and sodas. Acid temporarily softens the enamel surface by demineralizing it. Brushing immediately can literally wear away the softened enamel surface of your teeth. Instead, wait 30 minutes after your meal or snack before brushing your teeth, so the acid has time to be neutralized by your saliva and the enamel remineralized. While you are waiting, a good flushing method to remove loose food particles is to rinse with plain water.

Complete Your Home Dental Care Routine with Proper Flossing

If you only brush your teeth, you are leaving almost half of your mouth dirty. Brushing alone cleans about 60% of the tooth’s surface. The 40% hidden area between your teeth is where most interproximal (between the teeth) cavities and early-stage gum disease begin, and there is no better way to reach the area than with flossing.

Many people treat flossing like a sawing motion, snapping the string aggressively down between the teeth until it hits the gums with a painful thud. This does more harm than good. To clean effectively without slicing your delicate gum tissue, use the “C-Shape” method:

• Take 18 inches of floss and wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving a couple of inches of floss between your thumb and middle fingers
• Gently slide the floss between the teeth, moving it back and forth. Never snap it down.
• When the floss reaches the tooth line, bend it in a “C” around one tooth
• Gently push the floss between the gum and the tooth, then move it up (away from the gums). Repeat on the adjacent tooth before removing the floss.

Although traditional string floss is considered the gold standard for hard-to-reach areas, it is not the only option. Other better options include:

• Water flossers (Waterpiks) — These water-powered devices use pressure to spray water to remove plaque and debris. They are super effective and usually better for those with orthodontic solutions, for example, braces, permanent retainers, or dental bridges. They are also an excellent choice for people who have difficulty gripping or holding items.
• Interdental brushes — These look like tiny, flexible pipe cleaners. They are strongly recommended for patients with larger tooth separations, receding gums, and periodontal disease.

People often stop flossing because it makes their gums bleed. It sounds logical, but it is simply the wrong approach. Healthy flossing will not cause gums to bleed. Gingivitis or inflammation causes the bleeding. Gingivitis is caused by bacteria trapped in plaque at the gum line. If there is a gum infection, the blood vessels swell, become very thin, and become very weak.

Swollen gums are a warning sign that it is time to start flossing more, not less. With proper and regular flossing, that inflammation will subside, and the bleeding is usually gone within a week or two.

Choosing the Best Dental Care Products for Your Home Routine

Having the proper tools is essential. With hundreds of products available, it can be difficult to decide. However, the key is understanding the science behind how they work on your enamel and gums.

If you are still using the old-fashioned toothbrush, it is time to upgrade. Numerous clinical trials have demonstrated that electric or sonic toothbrushes effectively remove much more plaque and can lower gingivitis much more than manual toothbrushes.

The manual brush gives about 300 strokes per minute, while many sonic toothbrushes produce tens of thousands of brush strokes per minute. Moreover, a good electric model has built-in pressure sensors that will let you know if you are squeezing too intensely, which will prevent your enamel from wearing away.

No matter which type of brush (electric or manual) or bristle (soft or extra-soft) you select, it is essential that they be soft. Medium- and hard-bristle brushes are like sandpaper for your teeth and will wear away enamel and cause gum recession.

Toothpaste should not just scrub away stains but also repair and protect your teeth. Look for formulas containing these scientifically backed active ingredients:

• Fluoride — The best way to prevent decay is with fluoride. It integrates into your enamel, making it more resistant to acid. You should do your best to find help to reduce bacteria associated with plaque and gingivitis, which can cause gum disease.
• Nano-Hydroxyapatite (nHA) — It is a new and biocompatible substitute for fluoride. These tiny particles will adhere directly to your teeth and seal the tiny tubules that lead to tooth sensitivity, while also repairing tiny cavities from the inside out, since your teeth are naturally made of hydroxyapatite.

It is worth noting that it is best to avoid heavily advertised whitening charcoal or abrasive baking soda toothpastes. These are highly abrasive materials. While they might remove surface stains initially, they permanently scratch away your enamel, eventually exposing the darker, yellow dentin underneath and making your teeth look darker over time.

Mouthwash is a good addition to your dental care products. However, mouthwash does not need to hurt or sting to be effective. It is also best to avoid alcohol-based mouthwashes. Alcohol is a drying substance that removes saliva from your mouth. Our bodies produce saliva as the first line of defense against decay and bad breath. Hence, a dry mouth provides a perfect breeding ground for the anaerobic bacteria, which ultimately cause bad breath. Always use an alcohol-free mouthwash.

Anti-bacterial rinses are a great treatment for early gingivitis and plaque removal. Furthermore, fluoride rinses provide an extra shield against cavities.

When using a therapeutic fluoride rinse, avoid using it immediately after brushing. When you brush, you leave a lot of good stuff on your teeth, but if you rinse them immediately with water or a regular mouthwash, you risk washing it away. Extend protection by using your rinse at another time of the day, for example, after lunch.

Why You Should Spit, Not Rinse, After Brushing Your Teeth

One of the most valuable recommendations from dental professionals requires no financial investment. The number one, four-word rule is to spit and not rinse. This subtle change is confusing, but when you leave the bathroom sink with toothpaste on your mouth, your enamel is different.

We have been taught for generations to brush our teeth, drink a cup of water, rinse our mouths out, and spit into the sink. On a chemical level, this utterly undermines the effectiveness of a good toothpaste. The active medical-grade ingredients that help strengthen your teeth are quickly flushed and leached by the flow of regular tap water.

Rinsing after brushing with water removes the concentrated film of protective agents like fluoride or nano-hydroxyapatite that you have applied for 2 minutes. When using toothpaste, make sure to rinse it off your teeth completely so you can experience its benefits, but do not rinse it off entirely. Consider this the topical treatment type that can only provide real clinical results when it has continuous contact with the surface.

You have to consider how teeth protect themselves to understand what this means. Acids from the food and bacteria continuously erode minerals from your enamel all day, which is called demineralization. This ongoing loss of minerals over time leads to a weakening of the surface of the tooth, which forms minute structural voids.

Structural recovery is like a magnet for fluoride. It works by attracting the calcium and phosphate molecules back to the microscopic holes in your enamel when applied to your teeth. This chemical change produces a new mineralized structure, called fluorapatite, that is much more resistant than your original enamel to future acid attacks. This, however, takes time. When you leave the toothpaste film on your teeth, its protective elements help your teeth absorb it for at least 30 minutes. Rinsing stops this recovery completely and puts your enamel at risk.

This rule is more important than ever right before bed. When you sleep, your body’s saliva production drops drastically. Dry mouth can make teeth especially prone to bacterial attacks all night long, because saliva is the natural line of defense in your mouth that neutralizes acids and removes loose food particles. In these hours, stagnant bacteria multiply quickly, eat the remaining microscopic sugars and generate local acids

You leave a strong chemical barrier on your teeth when you brush them just before bedtime and do not rinse with water. This protective coating lasts all night and helps limit bacteria and repair your enamel. It helps you sleep while you are still recovering your smile.

How Your Diet Affects Home Dental Care and Oral Health

No matter how diligent you are in keeping your teeth clean, you will never out-floss a bad diet. Your diet directly affects the strength of your enamel, either strengthening it or weakening it. The way you choose your food is a key component of your oral health.

Numerous people think that sugar does not directly cause cavities. Actually, it is a chemical reaction. There are millions of bacteria in your mouth that are normally present. Sugars and simple carbohydrates are food for these microorganisms.

A biological chain reaction follows a simple equation:

Bacteria + Sugar or Starch = Acid

Acid + Time = Cavities

Each time you consume sugar, the bacteria can feed on it and produce highly acidic byproducts. This acid is immediately released in the mouth and lowers the pH level, which removes important minerals from the enamel. Over time, if this acid remains on your teeth, the enamel’s structure begins to break down, creating a cavity.

When it comes to dental caries, the number of times your teeth are exposed to sugar is much more harmful than the amount you consume in one sitting.

Your mouth is in an active ‘acid attack’ for about 20 to 30 minutes after each bite of food or sip of a sugary drink, before saliva can neutralise the pH. Your teeth would have only one 30-minute window of acid exposure when you sit to eat one slice of cake in 10 minutes. Drinking a sweetened iced coffee or soda throughout the four hours you spend at your desk is like slowly sipping soda, one sip at a time.

To protect your enamel, consume sugary foods and drinks only during meals, not throughout the day.

Some foods are detrimental to teeth, while others help protect and strengthen them. You should consider the following foods:

• Cheese and dairy — Calcium-rich foods, including cheese, milk, and plain yogurt replenish minerals to teeth. Cheese also contains casein proteins, which change the pH of the mouth and neutralize acids when they come in contact.
• Crunchy vegetables — Fibrous foods like celery, carrots, and apples stimulate saliva but do not replace brushing. Mechanical chewing produces a heavy flow of saliva to neutralize acids and dislodge trapped food particles, and scrubs the teeth.
• Water — Plain water is the best dental rinse. Drinking water regularly helps wash away food particles, lubricates your mucous membranes, and, if fluoridated, continuously strengthens your enamel.

You do not need to stop enjoying your favorite drinks altogether to save your smile. Drink through a straw when enjoying iced coffee, soda, or acidic drinks. Placing your straw slightly farther back in your mouth means that the liquid gets to the back of your mouth, bypassing your teeth entirely. This easy adjustment helps you to decrease your contact with your enamel each day significantly. Once the drink has been consumed, rinse the mouth with plain water.

Complete Your Home Dental Care Routine with Tongue Cleaning

Cleaning and flossing until your teeth are completely spotless is possible, but if you neglect your tongue, you are leaving the biggest source of chronic bad breath alone. The one surface that is a magnet for bacteria is where true oral hygiene must happen, which involves managing the full oral microbiome.

As much as 80% to 90% of halitosis, otherwise known as bad breath, comes from right on the surface of your tongue.

Take a close look at your tongue. It is not smooth. It has thousands of tiny projections that resemble the hairs on your body, which are known as papillae. This texture provides the back surface with the same texture as a thick shag carpet. It readily captures small bits of food particles and dead skin cells, as well as millions of anaerobic sulfur-producing bacteria. The bacteria consume trapped debris and release volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) that give off a foul smell. You cannot brush away this trapped layer at the back of the mouth.

Many people attempt to clean their tongues by just scrubbing them with their toothbrush. This is better than nothing, but very inefficient. The bristles of the toothbrushes are made to clean smooth and hard surfaces of the teeth, and, when applied to the tongue, they tend to merely stir up the bacterial sludge and force it farther into the papillae.

There is a special tongue scraper (stainless steel, copper, or soft plastic) for removing this coating. A scrapper’s flat, firm edge forms a smooth barrier that collects debris and removes it cleanly from the mouth, unlike a soft toothbrush.

For best results, make tongue scraping a part of your morning routine right after you wake up.

• Scrape your tongue before drinking any water or coffee. Bacteria multiply at a fast rate overnight, so the coating that you see in the morning is actually quite heavy. If you drink it immediately, those toxins will be rinsed directly into your gut.
• Stretch out your tongue as far as it will go, put the scraper as far back as possible, and pull it forward with gentle, even pressure to smoothly sweep away the accumulated debris and hidden oral bacteria that traditional toothbrushes leave behind, ensuring a much fresher mouth.
• Wash the ‘scraped-off material’ from the tool with running water, and repeat the process 3 to 4 times until the tool is clean. Ensure you thoroughly rinse away all trapped debris and oral bacteria after every individual passes to guarantee optimal hygiene and maintain a completely fresh, sterile surface for subsequent use.

This quick 10-second routine will eliminate morning breath and freshen your mouth during the day.

Find a Dentist Near Me

Taking the time to learn how to care for your teeth and gums at home is your best weapon in the fight to maintain a healthy smile, but you do not have to do it alone. Maintaining oral health is a partnership between you and your dental team. At home, diligent brushing and strategic flossing, along with a mindful diet, are the first tools that help strengthen your teeth and gums for life. However, regular professional cleanings and checkups are the tools that make it thrive.

At the dental practice of Danielle Akry, DDS, we provide gentle, expert care to assist you on your journey. Please call us today to schedule your next appointment in Los Angeles. Let us work together to keep your smile healthy, bright, and beautiful. Contact us at 310-286-3111.