How do I sanitize my mouth? - Genesis Dentists

How do I sanitize my mouth? You start by destroying the sticky layer of germs that grows on your teeth every single day. This layer is called plaque and it holds millions of tiny living things that eat the sugar in your food. These germs turn sugar into acid and this acid burns holes in your teeth. To sanitize your mouth, you must use tools like brushes and floss to physically move these germs away. You cannot just rinse them out with water. You have to scrub them off. Research shows that people who do not clean their mouths properly have a much higher risk of heart disease and diabetes. Keeping your mouth clean is about more than just a bright smile. It is about keeping your whole body safe from sickness.

What is the best daily routine to sanitize my mouth?

The best routine involves brushing, flossing, and cleaning your tongue every morning and every night. You should brush for at least two minutes because this gives the bristles enough time to reach every corner. Data from the Australian Dental Association proves that brushing for two minutes removes significantly more plaque than brushing for one minute. Most people only brush for forty five seconds which leaves a lot of germs behind. You should also clean your tongue because it acts like a carpet that traps food bits and bacteria. Use a tongue scraper or your toothbrush to pull the gunk from the back of your tongue to the front. This simple act removes up to seventy five percent of the bacteria that cause bad breath.

Apply a pea sized amount of fluoride toothpaste to a soft toothbrush.
Hold the brush at a slight angle toward your gums.
Move the brush in small circles to shake the germs loose.
Scrub the front, back, and chewing surfaces of every tooth.
Spit the toothpaste out but do not rinse with water immediately.

Leaving the toothpaste on your teeth for a few minutes helps the fluoride soak into your enamel. This makes your teeth harder and harder teeth resist acid better. If you rinse with water right away, you wash all that protection down the sink.

Should I use mouthwash to kill germs?

Yes, you should use an antibacterial mouthwash to reach the places your brush cannot find. Mouthwash can swim into the tiny gaps between your teeth and under your gum line. However, you must choose the right kind of liquid. Many cheap mouthwashes use a lot of alcohol to kill germs. Alcohol dries out your mouth and this is a problem. Your mouth needs saliva to stay healthy because saliva kills bacteria and neutralizes acid. A dry mouth actually grows more bad germs. Look for a mouthwash that is alcohol free. Mouthwashes with ingredients like chlorhexidine or essential oils work very well. A study published in the Journal of International Oral Health found that essential oil mouthwashes reduce plaque by over thirty percent compared to just brushing alone. This evidence shows that liquid cleaners are a powerful tool for a truly sanitized mouth.

How does flossing help sanitize the mouth?

Flossing reaches the thirty five percent of your tooth surfaces that a toothbrush never touches. If you do not floss, you are leaving more than a third of your mouth dirty. Germs hide between the teeth where they can cause cavities and gum disease. When your gums get sick, they bleed and swell up. This allows bacteria to enter your bloodstream. To floss correctly, take a long piece of string and wrap it around your fingers. Slide it between your teeth and make a C shape around the side of the tooth. Slide it up and down to scrape the germs away. If you find string floss too hard to use, try a water flosser. A water flosser uses a thin beam of high pressure water to blast food and germs out of the gaps. Clinical trials show that water flossers can be even more effective than string floss at reducing gum bleeding because they reach deeper into the pockets under the gums.

Why do I need to sanitize my mouth before dental implants?

Sanitizing your mouth is critical if you want to get dental implants. An implant is a metal post that sits in your jawbone and holds a fake tooth. If your mouth is full of germs, those germs can attack the bone around the metal post. This causes a disease called peri implantitis. If this happens, the bone will pull away and the implant will become loose and fall out. Dental implants in Melbourne can cost between three thousand and six thousand Australian dollars per tooth. That is a lot of money to lose because of poor cleaning. Doctors at Genesis Dentists recommend that you have a very clean mouth before the surgery and keep it that way afterward. They find that patients with excellent oral hygiene have an implant success rate of over ninety eight percent. Patients with dirty mouths see their implants fail much more often.

What will a professional dental cleaning cost me?

A professional cleaning at a dentist is the only way to remove tartar. Tartar is plaque that has turned into hard stone. You cannot brush or floss tartar away. A dentist must use special metal tools or ultrasonic vibrations to break it off. In Australia, a standard checkup and clean usually costs between two hundred and three hundred and fifty Australian dollars. This price covers the exam, the cleaning, and often a fluoride treatment. If you have not been to the dentist in a long time, you might need a deep cleaning. A deep cleaning reaches way down under the gums to save your teeth from falling out. This can cost up to eight hundred Australian dollars for a full mouth. While this sounds expensive, it is much cheaper than the thousands of dollars you would spend on root canals or dentures if you let your mouth stay dirty.

Does the food I eat affect how clean my mouth stays?

The food you eat changes the environment inside your mouth. When you eat sugary snacks like lollies or drink soda, you feed the bad bacteria. These germs grow very fast when sugar is available. To keep your mouth sanitized, you should eat more crunchy vegetables like carrots and celery. These foods act like natural toothbrushes because they scrape your teeth as you chew. They also make you produce more saliva. Saliva is your body’s best defense against germs. It contains minerals that repair your teeth. Research shows that people who drink plenty of water and eat low sugar diets have much less plaque buildup. You should also avoid snacking all day long. Every time you eat, the acid levels in your mouth spike for twenty minutes. If you snack all day, your teeth stay under attack and never get a chance to recover. Stick to main meals and drink water in between to keep your mouth clean.

Can natural oils help sanitize my mouth?

Some people use a method called oil pulling to clean their mouths. This involves swishing a tablespoon of coconut oil or sesame oil in your mouth for twenty minutes. The idea is that the oil pulls germs out of the cracks in your teeth. Some studies show that oil pulling can reduce the amount of bacteria in the mouth. It can be a good addition to your routine but it cannot replace brushing and flossing. Oil does not have the strength to remove hard plaque or tartar. Science shows that fluoride toothpaste is still the best way to stop holes in your teeth. If you like natural options, you can use oil pulling in the morning, but you still need to scrub your teeth with a brush twice a day. Always remember that physical scrubbing is the most important part of sanitizing anything, including your mouth.

How do I know if my mouth is actually clean?

There are several signs that show your mouth is healthy and sanitized. First, look at your gums in a mirror. Healthy gums are firm and pink. If they are red, puffy, or bleed when you brush, your mouth is not clean enough. Bleeding is a sign of infection. Second, check your breath. If you have a bad taste in your mouth or if your breath smells bad even after brushing, you have too many germs hiding on your tongue or between your teeth. Third, feel your teeth with your tongue. They should feel smooth like glass. If they feel fuzzy or slimy, they are covered in plaque and need a scrub. You can even buy special purple tablets at the chemist called disclosing tablets. You chew these and they stain the plaque purple so you can see exactly where you missed with your brush. This is a great way to prove to yourself that your mouth is truly sanitized.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many times a day should I sanitize my mouth?

You must clean your mouth at least twice a day. Once in the morning to remove the germs that grew while you slept and once at night to remove the food and plaque from the day. Cleaning before bed is the most important because your mouth produces less saliva at night which makes it easier for germs to damage your teeth.

Is an electric toothbrush better than a manual one?

Yes, electric toothbrushes are better at sanitizing the mouth for most people. They move thousands of times per minute which is much faster than your hand can move. Studies show that electric brushes remove twenty one percent more plaque than manual brushes after three months of use. They also have timers to make sure you brush for the full two minutes.

Does drinking water help clean my mouth?

Drinking water is a great way to help sanitize your mouth throughout the day. Water washes away food bits and thins out the acid produced by bacteria. In Australia, most tap water has fluoride added to it which helps make your teeth stronger every time you take a sip. Always choose water over juice or soft drinks to keep your mouth fresh.

Can I use baking soda to clean my teeth?

Baking soda can help remove stains and kill some germs because it makes your mouth less acidic. However, it can be very rough. If you use it too hard or too often, you might scratch the enamel off your teeth. It is safer to use a toothpaste that has a little bit of baking soda inside it rather than using the raw powder from your kitchen.

How often should I change my toothbrush?

You should throw away your toothbrush and get a new one every three months. Over time, the bristles get frayed and weak. A worn out brush cannot move the germs away effectively. You should also get a new brush after you have been sick with a cold or the flu so you do not put those germs back into your mouth.