Today I had a dentist appointment with Dr. Fung at Dr. Vellequette’s dentist office.  When you go there they give you a sheet on how to properly care for your teeth.  Normally, this wouldn’t be something that I would want to share with the world, but there was something about this list that was extremely different than what you’re typically taught.

Here’s the list IN ORDER of the steps you should take.  For the fill description of the items, click on the image to the right.

Step 1) Use a Tongue Scraper twice daily to kill the over 1 million germs that your tongue carries.

Step 2) Gargle and Rinse with Mouthwash twice daily, swishing in mouth for 1 minute (or until it burns a hole in your tongue).  They recommend Listerine Total Care with flouride (either alcoholic or non-alcoholic).  YES THIS IS STEP 2!

When I questioned the doctor about this they said that the mouthwash acts as a soap that will loosen up the debris and other stuff on the teeth which in turn makes brushing more effective.

Step 3 ) Floss daily or use a Water Irrigator/Water Pik.

Step 4) Brush your Teeth twice daily.  My doctor recommends a soft toothbrush.

The rest is more if you have special instructions.

One of the things that the worksheet does mention is that bacteria forms 20 seconds after eating or drinking and 20 minutes after brushing.  By using products containing 100% Xylitol will neutralize mouth acids in 5 minutes compared to 30 minutes for the body to do it alone.  You can find these at Amazon.com and other stores in the form of gum, mints, mouth spray, mouth rinses and toothbrushes.

As you can see from above, reversing when you use mouthwash can have a better effect on your brushing than to use it afterward.  Also, don’t forget to use a tongue scraper once and a while.