Importance of dental hygiene

I thought my dental hygiene was great. I brushed 1-2 times a day and sometimes (if I remembered) flossed. I only have 4 cavities total, so I thought I was doing great. Then, I went for my 6 month checkup and came home with 3 cavities. All on the same side of my mouth. Ironic that it was the side of the mouth that I chew my Purely Elizabeth (crack) granola on:) It was time to reevaluate my dental health for sure. So, here's how I turned it around:

1. I bought an electric toothbrush. Duh, I don't know why I didn't get one of these sooner. I opted for this one from Target:

https://www.target.com/p/philips-sonicare-protective-clean-4100-plaque-control-rechargeable-electric-toothbrush/-/A-53328714?preselect=52560446#lnk=sametab

It's reasonably priced, does the trick, and is a pretty pastel pink. I cannot believe I ever lived without it! My teeth feel so smooth and clean everyday and it's exceptionally helpful in cleaning the teeth that my bonded retainer are on.

2. I became obsessed with floss! Big surprise that the girl who looks for well made socks in obsessed with floss too. The target brand floss I had been buying was not doing it. It broke a lot and didn't really scrub the teeth, it just glided through them. Enter Coco floss. This floss has coconut oil and other essential oils built into it. It's amazing, has on point marketing packaging (that's the graphic designer in me), and comes in yummy scents like coconut, cara cara orange, mint, and strawberry. It's not cheap but it really works. You could also get by with Oral B brand floss but I love the variety of flavors and the way it almost loofahs your teeth.

https://cocofloss.com

3. I swish coconut oil before I floss. It helps dislodge food, whitens teeth, and keeps mouth infections at bay with its antibacterial/viral properties. I don't do 20 minutes or anything crazy...literally 1-2 minutes.

4. Brush and floss 2 times a day and rinse mouth after eating anything.

Sounds like work, I know. But, now I am in the habit and I actually look forward to it. The order would be this: Swish, Floss, and Brush

Obviously I had to get the cavities taken care of, so I opted to use a biological dentist. They are not all about drilling and filling. They are about prevention and keeping all of your teeth as long as you can. I go to Integrative Dental Solutions in Pewaukee and they are fabulous. You get a lavender neck wrap while you are getting your dental work done and a low level laser treatment to sore law areas when you are finished. Since one of my fillings was an old mercury filling, they use many measures such as air purifiers to keep the mercury from going in your system as much as possible. It's a very important step that most traditional dentists don't adhere to.

Some things I have observed are:

- No more bleeding gums when I floss

- My teeth are whiter

- No more tongue scraping, it's always clear

- My mouth just feels clean and a clean mouth is the basis of health