My brain was totally confused because like most of the world, I was somehow convinced that the toothpaste was necessary to make my mouth clean. It looked great and the refreshing minty taste was surely killing germs. Why would the instructions on the box and every single dental professional I’d ever come across ask me to use a pea sized drop of dentifrice unless it was destroying the bacteria on my teeth?!?
Then I got to thinking about sunscreen. Would you lather up with SPF 30 only to jump right in the ocean?
In a flash of brilliance, I realized how silly it was to brush for 45 seconds (the usual tooth brushing session… even though it’s supposed to be two minutes) with a paste claiming all kinds of benefits only to wash it down the drain! How can the potassium nitrate in Sensodyne work if you don’t let it soak in? How can the fluoride, calcium, phosphate, or other nice ingredients of any toothpaste brand really help if it gets rinsed away immediately?
KEYS TO KEEPING YOUR MOUTH HEALTHY:
1. Brush with a dry brush twice a day for at least two minutes and then use the brush or your fingers to apply the OTC toothpaste. Let it work by giving it time to soak into the pores of your teeth (spit out the extra)
2. Floss at least once a day (or use your favorite interdental device)
3. See your hygienist at least twice a year (more often if you build a lot of tartar, have an active infection, or compromised immune system)
*** If you are high risk for decay or periodontal disease, let your dental professional point you toward a prescription product like Clinpro 5000.
The recommendations in many European countries nowadays are to use 2cm of toothpaste (the pea size amount is no longer seen effective enough), to brush ar least for 2mins, to spit out any extra foam and then leave the rest of the toothpaste in mouth. If using an electric toothbrush you should apply more toothpaste half way through the brushing as the round brushead can’t hold 2cm of toothpaste. Happy brushing!
The recommendations in many European countries nowadays are to use 2cm of toothpaste (the pea size amount is no longer seen effective enough), to brush ar least for 2mins, to spit out any extra foam and then leave the rest of the toothpaste in mouth. If using an electric toothbrush you should apply more toothpaste half way through the brushing as the round brushead can’t hold 2cm of toothpaste. Happy brushing!