As temperatures rise, people venture more outside, realize just how messy their homes really are, and find gratification in spring cleaning. While you’re clearing out your attic, garage, and other rooms in your house, don’t forget another essential place to keep clean: your smile. Here are three vital tasks to preserve, refresh, and clean your teeth this spring!
Being Consistently Thorough: Brushing Twice Per Day
In a home, if you have large gaps between times when you clean, you’ll not only find it extremely dirty but also harder and longer to clear up. The white, sticky plaque that forms on teeth after eating only takes a few hours to solidify onto the enamel. At that point, it becomes hard to remove for someone who doesn’t have the appropriate training or instruments. Brushing for at least two minutes twice each day will help you clear away plaque before it adheres to your teeth.
Deep Cleaning in Hidden Spaces: Flossing Every Day
Normal brushing on the exposed surfaces of your teeth takes care of a decent amount of the problem, but you may not realize that brushing only affects about 60 percent of your teeth. The other 40 percent hides between teeth or in areas that are much harder to reach with a toothbrush. As a result, you need to floss at least once every day to clear out these spaces and prevent calculus buildup.
If you allow plaque to stay between your teeth, especially near the gumline, you invite infections like cavities and gum disease. Just as with a house, you may get away without clearing certain areas every time you clean, but if you don’t address these more hidden areas with some regularity, it will come back with a vengeance on your oral health later.
Necessity, Not Luxury: Semi-Annual Professional Cleanings
For houses, it can seem like an indulgence to have someone else clean it for you, even if you pay for it once every few months or so. You could always do it yourself, but if you have the money, it’s nice to let someone else take that responsibility! When it comes to teeth, professional cleaning is not a luxury: it needs to happen to keep your mouth consistently healthy and safe.
Even if you follow your dentist’s brushing and flossing advice precisely, you will likely leave at least tiny bit of plaque behind over time. Everyone does! Regularly meeting with your dentist for a checkup and a cleaning with your hygienist can make up for what you may not catch on your own. Plus, a refreshing polishing can leave your teeth feeling extra, squeaky clean as well as a couple of shades whiter than what you can get at home.
The best parts of spring cleaning are the free and excited feelings you get about your house and your smile, but amazingly, you can have these feelings about your mouth anytime of the year! When you go to your dentist every six months and brush and floss daily as instructed, your smile can always look and feel its best.
About the Author
Boyles General Dentistry & Implant Center has been serving the Midland community for more than 40 years. Dr. Stephen Boyles has learned about the clinical and manage aspects of dentistry both from his own father and from some of the most prestigious professional organizations in the field. After earning his dental degree at Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry and has earned Master status with the Academy of General Dentistry. If you want to have a “spring cleaning” for your teeth or have any other treatment done on your smile, reach out to us online or call us at 432-685-7011 to schedule an appointment.