Oral Hygiene Hacks That Will Leave Your Mouth Minty Clean

In an age that is obsessed with selfies, everyone is looking for the perfect smile. But, to obtain the perfect smile, you need to take care of your oral hygiene. Now, most readers will think that they cover every base because they brush twice a day and floss. Okay, that is a good start, but it is only a start. In fact, to ensure that your oral hygiene is up to the standard you require for the best possible smile, you need to go the extra mile. Going the extra mile is not easy, hence the term, yet it is essential if you want to take your mouth, teeth and gums seriously.

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Luckily, there are a couple of tricks, or hacks, that you can use to ensure that your hygiene levels never fall below a certain standard. If you implement some of the following into your daily routine, your teeth will never look better. And, they are all pretty organic, so there is no need for cosmetic dentistry or invasive surgery.

Enjoy!

1: Throw Your Toothbrush Away

It seems a little odd to throw away your toothbrush when you are trying to improve your oral health, but bear with us a minute as there is a method to the madness! Toothbrushes are brilliant at cleaning teeth when they are fresh and relatively new. The hard bristles can get in between teeth and clear them of any excess food and bad bacteria. But, as they get older, the bristles soften and don’t work as well. So, if you have had your brush for a while, it is time to replace it with another one. As a rule, you shouldn’t have one toothbrush for more than three months. If you want to take it one step further, and you have the cash, make it one to two months.

2: Clean Your Tongue

Your tongue is a major player in your oral health, yet it is often left out when it comes to brushing. On a serious note, how many people can say they brush their tongue twice a day? Exactly! The tongue is full of bacteria that can cause problems for the teeth and gums, as well as for your breath. Even if you kill most of the bacteria in your mouth, there could still be tons of it left on your tongue. The next time you brush, you should take an extra couple of seconds to brush your tongue. After all, what’s an extra thirty seconds in the morning and at night?

3: And Your Gums

Again, the gums are another area of the mouth that doesn’t get the treatment they deserve. With regards to your health and hygiene, your gums are more important that your teeth. Without healthy gums, you cannot have healthy teeth. It is that simple. Think of your gums as the foundations that your teeth are built on. Take away the foundations, and your teeth will disappear too. Gums do take a little longer to clean, and you may need to do a bit of fiddling to reach the awkward areas. At the end of the day, though, your teeth will thank you!

4: Go On A White Teeth Diet

As you may know, your diet has a big bearing on your oral hygiene. In basic terms, the worse you eat, the worse your oral hygiene will become. So, for obvious reasons, you want to cut out the junk food and stick to the healthy stuff. One of the best ways to do this is to go on white teeth diet. Now, you are probably thinking ‘what is a white teeth diet?’ so here’s an explanation. All you do is avoid foods that can potentially stain and damage your teeth. For example, red wine may taste good, but it shows up straight away, and it is hard to clear. Or, Coca-Cola might hit the spot, but the amount of sugar is not good for the mouth. The bottom line that you should keep in mind is if it is dark in color avoid it and find a replacement. If you cannot resist, try and brush immediately after consuming food and drink that is going to do your oral health damage.

5: Watch What You Eat

On a similar note, don’t eat junk food all of the time. If you want to improve your oral health, you should concentrate on improving your overall health. As the two are closely linked, if you boost one you will boost the other one. So, sorry, but chocolate, sodas, and candy are all out to be replaced by salads and vegetables. Okay, it sounds boring and dull, but it gets a lot better once you get into a routine.

6: Consume Detergent Foods

What the heck are detergent foods? Good question. The term isn’t an actual term – it is something that coined and stuck over time. But, in essence, detergent foods are foods that clean your teeth while you eat, hence the name. Detergent foods are hard, firm foods that use their rigidity to run over your teeth while you are chewing, and they come in a lot of forms. The main one is apples because they are firm all the way through, plus they are organic. But, you can also use celery or carrots or even popcorn if you want a treat. For the best results, eat detergent foods at the end of your meal. Then, you can clean your teeth without having to go and brush. This is one trick that you are not going to forget in a long while!

7: Brush With Baking Soda

If you have ever come across baking soda, you will know how strong it is when it comes to stains. To be honest, there isn’t much that baking soda cannot move, which makes it perfect for maintaining your oral health. All you do is add a little bit to your toothbrush and use it like you would toothpaste. The results should be pretty instant, and you can maintain them by doing it once every week or every other week. Brushing with salt also works, however, make sure you don’t ingest any of the salt. Not only will it add to your sodium intake for the week, but it will also make you feel nauseous, and you could be physically sick.

8: Oil Pulling Kit

This is another method that may raise a few questions in your head as oil pulling kits are not very conventional. Still, they do have a cult following, and they are effective when you use them correctly. Instead of using harmful substances that can be harmful to your teeth, you can use the oil pulling method instead. This method reduces the amount of oil in your mouth, which in turn reduces the amount of plaque. As there is less plaque, your teeth become and look whiter. Plus, it also has a knock-on effect for the rest of your mouth. Oil pulling can affect everything from your teeth to your breath and bad bacteria, so it is well worth a try. After all, what is the worst that can happen?

9: Floss Without A Mirror

When you floss, you need to be able to see what you are doing, right? Wrong. In fact, you don’t need to be able to see anything if you are proficient at flossing without a mirror. Without any visual aids, you can floss anywhere regardless of where you are or the time of day. So, if you want to maintain your oral hygiene on the train to work or on the walk back home, you can. Just pull out the emergency floss and get to work. You might get a few looks, but your teeth will gleam!

10: Conceal With Color

For all the ladies out there, this is a great trick. Simply look in your bag and pull out the lipstick with the lightest shade or red or a medium coral. These lipsticks use the color to mask your teeth and show them off in a nicer light. For example, the contrast of the red lipstick makes your teeth look whiter whereas a lighter color brings out the yellow in your teeth. Most women carry a variety of shades, so make sure that red is one of those shades.

11: Mouthwash With Salt Water

Salt is nature’s sterilizer. The properties of salt make it perfect for killing unwanted bacteria in your mouth, which is one great reason to add it to your routine. The best way is to mix salt with warm water – the water helps the enzymes – and then gargle and don’t swallow (see #7). Alternatively, you can use vinegar because it works the same way. In fact, apple cider vinegar is popular in lots of circles because it also gets rid of stubborn stains.

Summary

As you can see, you don’t need to do anything drastic to improve and maintain your oral hygiene. But, you do have to stick to a strict schedule if you want lasting effects. Otherwise, you oral health will soon deteriorate.