My teeth are in good health and I take good care of them, yet I always get this plaque buildup no matter what I try.

I’ve tried different brushes, toothpastes, and flossing methods to no avail. Mouthwash is too harsh on my mouth and peels my skin off so I avoid that.

I haven’t tried waterpicks or electric brushes yet. Did you? Did they work for you? Have you succeeded in preventing plaque and if so, how???

  • Bazoogle@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I maintain very good dental hygiene, and my dental hygienist always loves me. These are the tips I’ve picked up from them as I’ve gone

    • Use an electric toothbrush. My hygienist didn’t give a recommendation, but I asked what she used and said the Philips Sonicare and really liked it. I got one for $25 on a black friday sale (normally $50 for the model I got). I’m sure plenty would work, but one that also tells you when you’re pressing too hard is a very nice perk, and the timer is a must.
    • Floss every day with normal string floss. Honestly, quickly disrupting the bacteria between your teeth is good most days, and then give it a really good go other days to really break things up.
    • Never brush with a low pH level in your mouth. Eating anything increases the acidity in your mouth, so wait about 30 minutes before brushing. Some things increase it much more, such as soda. Wait an hour or so after drinking soda or other acidic foods/drinks before brushing. Drinking water can help normalize the pH levels faster, as well. So if you must, just swish around some water a good bit before brushing.
    • Saliva is good for you. If you drink a lot of soda or eat a lot of sugary foods, stop it. But since you probably won’t stop (like me) chew sugar free gum to increase saliva production to help fight the sugary-ness of it, as well as help balance the pH levels a little.
    • Use alcohol free anti-cavity mouth wash. It’s basically just water and fluoride, so if fluoride toothpaste doesn’t hurt your mouth, you should be okay with this mouthwash.
    • Make sure you’re using fluoride toothpaste. It doesn’t need to be fancy, I just use the cheapest fluoride toothpaste.
    • Do not rinse out the toothpaste in your mouth after brushing. You want the fluoride to stay on your teeth for as long as possible. And if you do end up using flouride mouthwash, do not drink anything for at least half an hour after using it to make sure the flouride has time to work. The longer it’s on your teeth, the better.
    • Brush AT LEAST every night. Of course they always recommend twice a day, but if you picked one, do it before bed and not in the morning. If you don’t brush before bed, the bacteria from the day will sit on your teeth all night going to work on you. I only brush at night, but the hygienists I have always say they wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t told them. And that’s even with habitual soda drinking habits.
    • Accept the fact you will get tartar build up. It’s going to happen, despite your best efforts. That’s why you should go to the dentist every 6 months. They will remove the tartar build up with a metal pick, but if you do everything above, it should be an easy job for them.
    • zzzz@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Thanks for the tips! One nitpick: I’m pretty sure acidity leads to a lower pH, not higher. But, your point still stands!

      • Bazoogle@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Good catch. The way I think about the pH scale in my head always feels like acidity should be high on the pH, but that’s just wrong XD

        • zzzz@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Yeah, it would seem that the [p]ower of [H] should increase with the number of H+ ions! But, they threw in that minus sign for some reason.

    • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      You can also get the dental picks off Amazon for a few bucks. You can use it once a month and get rid of the plaque yourself. Then it can’t build up.

      No, this isn’t dental advice but I’ve had no issues. Don’t go crazy on your teeth or gums.