Start the day right with a good oral hygiene routine and end the day the same way

Good oral hygiene is paramount to healthy teeth and gums and keeping your pearly whites white (or off-white as in my case). Implement this routine to keep your oral hygiene at it’s best…

image courtesy of onlinecourses24x7.com

Good gum health sports the aesthetics of a good smile and highlights the overall health of an individual. Whenever you meet or speak to someone have you noticed how your focus is on their teeth the moment they smile. The mouth is where peoples eyes fixate on like it or not, so it’s vital to keep your smile looking as healthy as possible.

I’m fortunate enough to have a dentist who was my childhood neighbour and good friend. He’s been looking after my teeth for several years now and I wouldn’t change him for the world. One day I went for lunch at his place and the conversation turned to oral hygiene. The one statement he mentioned that has stuck with me was “It’s a bloody good job everyone doesn’t look after their teeth like you do, otherwise I wouldn’t be paid the money I am!” This statement made me laugh and is also ingrained in my memory. Yet my brushing routine is so simple and so effective the only thing I pay my dentist for is a routine check up which involves a scale and polish semi-annually. I’ve never had any tooth rot or serious gum problems in my life.

I thought I’d share with you my oral hygiene routine to keep my teeth and gums looking their best. Being a software programmer I tend to think in algorithms (I think this is the norm of most programmers). An algorithm is simply a sequence of steps to accomplish a task. I’ve implemented an algorithm to my dental brushing technique.

My bathroom cabinet shelf dedicated to my oral hygiene (the manual toothbrush is for guests)

Flossing is not enough!

My dentist has recommended inter-dental sticks combined with flossing and brushing. These sticks have little brushes which allow you to clean out any food debris and plaque that has built up in the gaps. I use the TEPE interdental brushes (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0010EOND0/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=9ab9db9c59ed9481405616e2a1e63f6c&hsa_cr_id=1765670470402&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=101f2a23-a202-459e-b2f5-57936cf8c6fc&pd_rd_w=TWXEh&pd_rd_wg=FnFds&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0_img) since they have different sizes to use in the different sized gaps in between your teeth. Typically I use these every other day as well as flossing. It is imperative to use this after eating sweet popcorn so those sugar coated kernels are removed from the gaps in your teeth.

Use an electric toothbrush

Electric toothbrushes are far more superior than a manual tooth brush. I have the Oral B Braun electric toothbrush from circa 2009 which I believe was over-engineered. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of todays electric toothbrush like the 30-second pulse to inform you that a quarter of your mouth is complete or the red light to inform you your pressing too hard. Yet this toothbrush just keeps on going. The battery lasts for almost 5 days before dying and after charging for 24 hours it’s rearing to go.

Buy a good water-resistant stop-watch

If you spend too much time brushing your teeth for too long you will end up brushing the enamel off the teeth. This is known as toothbrush abrasion which exposes the tooth roots which could rot. That’s why is important to time yourself so you don’t spend too much time brushing but enough time to clean them throughly. I bought a water resistant stop-watch from eBay for less than £3 ($4.20) which I keep in the bathroom cabinet. I use this every time I brush my teeth and gums.

Here’s my complete teeth and gum brushing algorithm:

1. Place a small amount of toothpaste on the brush head and run it under the tap for a second to soften it.
2. Start the stop-clock and start brushing the very back of the bottom right set of teeth using a slow back and forth motion. The brush head should swing through almost 180 degrees. Monitor the stop-clock as the seconds progress (towards 30 seconds) bring the brush slowly towards the front centre of the mouth continuing the slow back and forth motion.
3. Once 30 seconds have passed repeat this process for the remaining 3 quarters of your teeth; bottom left set starting at the very back, then the top right starting at the very back followed by the top left also starting at the very back.
4. After 2 minutes you’ve completed all 4 quarters of your mouth. For the next 30 seconds bite your teeth together so your front top teeth are in-line with your bottom front teeth and slowly brush up and down from one side of your mouth to the other to brush the top and bottom set concurrently. As the clock progresses from 2 minutes to 2 minutes 30 seconds you will have brushed the entire top and bottom set from one side to the other.
5. The stop-clock should read 2 minutes and 30 seconds so for the next 30 seconds brush your upper gums starting from the back of one end slowly moving the toothbrush to the other end so it ends on the other side after 30 seconds.
6. Repeat step 5 for your lower gums.

The total time taken to brush your teeth and gums should be 3 minutes 30 seconds. Let the brush do all the work and don’t press hard. NOTE: At no point do I use a rapid up and down motion across my teeth as with a manual tooth brush.

Clean the tongue with a tongue scraper

Using a tongue scraper can help prevent bad breath (halitosis) by removing volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs). Use it immediately after brushing your teeth. Tongue scrapers are available in metal or plastic. They tend to be either a spoon-like shape or a U-shaped metal device with two handles.

Here is my tongue scraping algorithm:

1. After brushing open the mouth wide and place the tongue scraper on the furthest reachable point on the back of the tongue.
2. Apply gentle pressure and pull the scraper forward toward the tip of the tongue. There should not be any pain when you do this.
3. Rinse the scraper with warm water and repeat if necessary.
4. Rinse your mouth with water and split it out.
5. Clean the tongue scraper with soap and warm water regularly
6. Clean the tongue scraper thoroughly with soap and warm water.

Use mouthwash to freshen breath

Finally, use mouth wash to freshen your breath and you’re ready for the day ahead or a good nights sleep.

Apply this technique the moment you wake up and just before bedtime every day and you shouldn’t have any tooth decay /gum disease issues for the rest of your life. Also ensure that you don’t eat too many sugary foods. I generally have a fizzy drink shared with someone else once every 3–4 days (my fizzy drink of choice is Dr. Pepper with rum). Drinking any acidic drinks 30 minutes to one hour before bedtime is an absolute no no since brushing your teeth after consuming this would be akin to taking wire wool to a new paint job on a car.

Any questions please let me know. I hope this article is of benefit to you. If so please leave a clap…