Ever since the beginning of hygiene in human history, we’ve known all there is to understand about keeping our mouths as clean as possible and free of germs.
From understanding the rule of brushing after every meal to picking out the best type of toothpaste for your oral health, the assortment of different factors to consider when keeping up with dental hygiene is endless. While all the minor and major details each play their roles in helping keep your mouth in perfect shape, however, the chances are that there’s one specific aspect you’re overlooking: rinsing.
Yes, you read that right: you’re probably not rinsing your mouth as well as you should.
Why it matters to rinse your mouth
Now, you might be thinking: “How could I be rinsing my mouth wrong when it’s probably the simplest task to do in the world?” Well, the thing is that the task itself may seem straightforward, but it requires a whole lot more than you might expect.Rinsing is a much more detailed process because it plays a crucial role in aiding your mouth throughout the fight against gum disease. Although this is the part where you’d expect thorough flossing to help the most, the reality is that being particular and methodical over the way you rinse plays a much larger role in keeping your mouth problem-free.
What’s the right way to rinse?
Concerning duration, best practice dictates that you’ll need to swish side to side, around the front of your teeth, and then to the back of your molars for anywhere between 45 seconds to a minute, with a ten-second gargle right after. On the other hand, your mouth wash (considering that you’re not just rinsing around with water alone) should be a bottle approved or endorsed by the American Orthodontics Association to ensure that you’re getting the right formula!
How does proper rinsing help keep your dental health in perfect shape?
When it comes to making sure that your mouth gets the proper care it needs, rinsing is a crucial part of the process because of how it helps combat various problems that may come up. Here’s a quick overview of the different problems that a thorough rinse with an approved bottle of mouthwash can help with:
1. Foul breath and mouth odors: Apart from brushing your teeth the right way and flossing correctly from top to bottom and left to right, proper rinsing helps ensure that you never catch yourself slipping with a case of bad breath.
2. Gum disease: What many of our patients fail to understand about rinsing is that it’s one of the most effective defenses they can have against periodontal disease. The main reason rinsing is such a great way to combat gum disease is that it prevents the build-up of bacteria in your mouth, but don’t forget that visiting your dentist seals the deal!
3. Bacteria: Another effective way that thorough rinsing tremendously helps ensure that your mouth stays in perfect health is that it ultimately gets rid of bacteria from your mouth.
Although brushing and flossing are great ways to remove a significant amount of bacteria, swishes with specially formulated mouthwash will get into the deeper spots that can’t be reached so that any remaining bacteria is eventually pulled out. As a result, your mouth enjoys a far deeper clean that essentially acts as a “foolproof” defense against any problems brought about by underlying bits and pieces of bacteria!
Conclusion
Among all the different parts of your dental care routine that you’ll need to take into account and refine as much as possible, your rinsing habits are the aspect that you should start preparing for over time. With the help of the right mouthwash and closer attention to detail over the way you take care of your mouth, you can ensure that you’re putting in the best effort possible to protect your dental health in the long run!
Dental House is a specialist in wisdom teeth removal, teeth whitening, dental spa treatments, and Invisalign work. If you are looking for an affordable dentist in Waterford, MI, get in touch with us today to see how we can help!