Our top tips for looking after your teeth besides brushing

Everyone understands the importance of brushing your teeth at least twice a day for the benefit of your oral health. Making positive changes doesn’t need to stop there though. There are a number of other simple, effective and accessible ways to get that sparkling smile you’ve always wanted and keep your teeth in a healthy condition. Check out our five top tips to help get you on the right track.

1. Brush your tongue

If your tongue is unhealthy, your mouth is unhealthy. It really is as simple as that. It’s one of the most important parts of your mouth but many people don’t give their tongue the regular and consistent clean that it needs. Brushing also helps attack the bacteria living on your tongue to help fight bad breath. It really couldn’t be easier - when you’re cleaning your teeth, make sure to also give your tongue a few gentle brushes (back and forth and side to side) and you’ll be able to remove all the nasty plaque that can build up very quickly.

1. Get flossing

Flossing should always be a part of your daily dental health routine. Getting into each of those nooks and crannies is really important for removing all those bits of food that get stuck in your teeth after every meal. Flossing also helps to stimulate your gums, lowers plaque build up and keeps the risk of mouth disease to a minimum.

1. Hydrate

It can’t get any more simple than this! Not only is drinking more water good for your overall health, but you’ll also see the huge benefits it can have on the health of your mouth, helping to prevent many common problems such as dry mouth, teeth staining and gum disease. With the production of more saliva, your ability to break down food is even more effective and this ultimately helps with the chewing process.

1. Use mouthwash instead of rinsing

Rinsing your mouth out after a big brush can be a truly satisfying and clean feeling, but the actual health effects aren’t so great. Washing your mouth with water removes all the fluoride in your toothpaste that assists your enamel. This stops your teeth from resisting decay and is generally bad for your teeth. Fluoride exists in both mouthwash and toothpaste to prevent tooth decay, replacing lost minerals helping to make your teeth stronger. Replacing water with a fluoride mouthwash will ensure you keep all the good bits of brushing, inside your mouth.

1. Crunchy foods

When you eat those crunchy (but healthy) foods, the fibre acts almost the same as a toothbrush. Carrots, broccoli or cucumber, all the good fibres in these foods are great for cleaning up the surface of your teeth and lowering your risk of tooth decay.

If you want to do the basics well, brushing your teeth daily is always the number one priority - we won’t deny that. Taking the next steps that we’ve outlined above will also help to have a massive impact on your teeth and we promise you won’t be disappointed with the results.