Picking The Right Dental Care Products For Your Smile

There are plenty of dental care products available in the oral hygiene market, but which are the best ones for your smile? This is a handy guide you can keep in mind the next time you’re looking for a new toothbrush, toothpaste or any other dental product.

Picking out your toothbrush

1. Bristles

We generally recommend choosing soft bristles over hard bristles, particularly if you have sensitive teeth and gums, as hard bristles tend to speed up enamel erosion. Your enamel is the outer, protective layer of your teeth. This is a hard substance that plays a big role in keeping bacteria at bay and if it is compromised, this can lead to a severe, painful infection.

2. Manual vs. electric

Be it a conventional or electric toothbrush, both will do the job of cleaning your teeth well but which is better for your smile? When using a manual toothbrush, you need to be able to maneuver and position your brush correctly in order to perform a thorough cleaning. If you’re the type of person to do a quick brush and then rush off to work, doing so with a manual toothbrush gives you less chance of cleaning your mouth well. An electric toothbrush on the other hand has been proven to be more effective in removing plaque.

3. Expiration

Did you know you should be switching out your toothbrush every few months? Many Australians fail to do this but we recommend changing out your toothbrush every 3 months. You may have to switch it out even earlier if it starts looking frayed or worn. The reason is toothbrushes with bristles that have been compromised no longer clean as well as they should, leaving you with a higher risk of decay accumulating.

Choosing your toothpaste

When picking out your toothpaste and checking the labels, we recommend looking out for the ingredient fluoride. Fluoride has many benefits as a naturally occurring mineral. The most important for your dental health is that it helps strengthen your enamel (the outer layer of your teeth), which in turn reduces your chances of decay occurring. This is also why you’ll find your dentist offering fluoride treatment during checkups.

If you’re prone to sensitive teeth or gums, choose a toothpaste that specifically acts against this issue as the product won’t have any potentially irritating ingredients. Continuous sensitivity is a sign of an underlying dental condition that needs looking at so we recommend scheduling a checkup in such instances.

Mouthwash

Mouthwashes are a great way to temporarily clean your mouth and keep it fresh. Once again, given its benefits, check for fluoride as a key ingredient in your mouthwash. We also recommend looking for alcohol-free mouthwash, especially if you are experiencing sensitivity or sharing with a child under the age of 6 that may accidentally swallow the solution, as it could contain irritating agents. Look out for the ingredients Cetylpyridinium chloride and chlorhexidine as these are antiseptics that help improve your gum health and fight bacteria accumulation.

Dental Floss

Flossing is just as important as brushing your teeth when it comes to your daily oral hygiene routine. Your toothbrush, as vital as it is, cannot reach the food and bacteria particles lodged between your teeth. This is where dental floss comes in. You may be familiar with the traditional box of waxed floss that you wrap around your fingers and slide between your teeth, but there are alternatives that are far easier to maneuver like floss picks. So, if you’ve been skipping on the floss because it’s too cumbersome to use, consider investing in one of its easier alternatives.

Water picks

Water picks, more formally known as oral water irrigators, are particularly helpful for patients with braces or other dental restorations that easily trap food. While they can remove food particles that get stuck between your teeth, it’s a must for you to keep brushing and flossing each day in order to effectively remove plaque. If you’re unsure how to do this while wearing braces or another dental restoration, schedule a consultation with us and we’ll walk you through how to do it and what tools would work best for you.

The right dental care products coupled with a consistent oral hygiene routine can make all the difference when it comes to your dental health. You need to schedule a professional cleaning and checkup every 6 months, however, to make sure any hardened tartar is cleaned away (which cannot be done at home).

If you have any other queries about what dental care products would suit your smile best, make sure to bring them up in a consultation with one of our friendly dental professionals at Port Melbourne Dental. We’ve been taking care of our patients’ oral health for decades so you’re entrusting the best hands for the job.