how to clean your own teeth like a hygienist

Your mouth probably feels super clean after getting your teeth professionally cleaned by a dentist, but unfortunately that feeling doesn't last very long. We generally eat 3 times a day and brush our teeth twice, but this doesn't seem to clean all of the bacteria out of our mouth.

Because of this, there has to be some way to make our mouths feel just as clean without having to go to a dentist every month. That's why learning how to clean your own teeth can be extremely helpful. Here is some further information on how to do just that at the comfort of your own home.

What You Will Need
The Importance of Deep Cleaning
Tip 1: How to Remove Tartar and Plaque
- Home Remedies for Removing Tartar
Tip 2: Flossing
- Types of Floss
Tip 3: How to Do Proper Brushing
Tip 4: How to Properly Use Mouthwash
- How and When to Use Mouthwash

What You Will Need

According to Colgate, you can only clean your teeth so well without having the correct equipment and products to do so successfully. Because of this, you're required to find these specific products if you want to learn how to clean your own teeth like an actual dentist.

All of these specialty tools are used by dentists and hygienists. You can purchase these items as a kit, or you can purchase them separately.

Anti-fog mirror
Tartar scraper to scrape the tartar off of your teeth
Dental pick to remove food particles from in between your teeth
Dental scaler to scrape plaque from your teeth
Electric toothbrush (or a manual one)
Disclosing solution to make the plaque on your teeth visible

The Importance of Deep Cleaning

Learning how to clean your teeth is important because it involves removing the plaque and the bacteria that builds up around your gum line over time. Not only this, but deep cleaning your teeth also prevents gum disease and cavities.

Even if you brush and floss your teeth every day, you're still susceptible to plaque buildup because bacteria rests in places of your mouth that are unreachable through floss and regular brushing.

Dr. Jordan from the American Dental Association recommends that you deep clean your teeth once every few months. Not only this, but deep cleaning your teeth at home by yourself should not replace having them cleaned professionally twice a year.

Dental hygienists are properly educated, experienced, and certified on cleaning teeth and examining your oral health. Moreover, dental hygienists perform cancer examinations as well as oral health examinations, which are vital in maintaining good oral health and preventing diseases. You're recommended to receive a professional deep cleaning at least twice a year.

Tip 1: How to Remove Tartar and Plaque

Dental plaque is a clear film that is sticky and contains bacteria. Plaque accumulates naturally on the surface of teeth and can be minimized by brushing your teeth twice daily.

However, if the plaque isn't removed (whether by poor dental hygiene or just missing a few spots in your daily oral care routine), it can mix with the minerals in your saliva to form tartar.

Dental tartar is a substance that causes discoloration on your teeth. It's a deposit that is responsible for building up and staining your teeth, making it extremely difficult to remove the bacteria and the plaque that it's covering up.

Not only this, but tartar is strongly bonded to your teeth, so you're unable to remove it by simply brushing and flossing. In order to remove tartar, it has to either be scraped away, or you can use a few additional products to assist you in the process.

It's possible for you to learn how to clean your own teeth at home and even remove tartar by using the correct tools. You can purchase a tartar removal tool online, which contains a softer metal than the removal tools that dentists use just in case you scrape your gums too hard.

Additionally, you can also purchase tartar control toothpaste, which is responsible for eliminating and preventing the buildup of tartar with a combination of certain chemicals. There is also special toothpaste that will highlight tartar, so you know where exactly to brush.

Home Remedies for Removing Tartar

Baking Soda & Hydrogen Peroxide

Baking soda is a compound that contains many beneficial properties for cleaning, baking, and removing unwanted odors. According to Jefferson Dental Care, baking soda has the ability to remove tartar from your teeth because it contains many antibacterial properties, preventing bacteria from negatively affecting your oral health. Here's how to use baking soda for your oral hygiene:

Mix half a teaspoon of salt with 1 cup of baking soda
Put a portion of the mixture on your toothbrush
Brush your teeth for 5 minutes with the mixture
Rinse your mouth with a mixture of 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide and half a cup of water for 1 minute
Remove the excess tartar with a dental pick

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has the ability to remove the tartar on your teeth when you soak your tooth brush in the vinegar for 10 minutes and then brush your teeth with the toothbrush. After this, make sure you rinse your mouth with antiseptic mouthwash because leaving the apple cider vinegar on your teeth for too long can cause damage.

Aloe Gel and Glycerine Scrub

Another home remedy to remove tartar from your teeth involves using aloe and glycerine. To use this remedy, create a mixture of:

1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel
4 teaspoons of vegetable glycerine
5 tablespoons of baking soda
10 drops of lemon essential oil
1 cup of water

After you've created this mixture, brush your teeth with it for 5-7 minutes. Lastly, rinse your mouth using antiseptic wash and repeat the process the next day.

Tip 2: Flossing

Flossing is crucial for maintaining good oral health because it is responsible for scraping debris and food particles from parts of your teeth that a toothbrush is incapable of doing. Not only this, but flossing is crucial for preventing tooth decay, bacteria build up, gum disease, and bad breath. WebMD advises you to floss daily in order to prevent any major bacteria build up from occurring.

Types of Floss

Unwaxed Floss

Unwaxed floss is classified as nylon floss that is thin and multifilament, which makes it prone to breaking or shredding. But it's thinner than other types of floss, so it's beneficial for people that have teeth extremely close together.

Waxed Floss

Waxed floss is classified as nylon floss that contains a light wax on each strand, so it's thicker and may be more difficult to fit the floss in between teeth that are close together tightly. On the positive side, waxed floss is shred-resistant, so you don't have to worry about it breaking in between your teeth.

Floss Pick

A floss pick is classified as a small curved tool that's capable of flossing in between teeth because it contains a small piece of floss inside of its curved shape. This type of floss is beneficial for people that have a hard time holding and managing floss because it only requires that you hold the stick.

Below is a video on how to floss your teeth using the correct method.

Tip 3: How to Do Proper Brushing

Since a professional deep cleaning is only required twice a year, you may want to learn how to clean your own teeth while at home. Dentists claim that you can do this by mainly focusing on brushing your gums, which is what most people are unaware of. In order to deep clean your teeth properly, you will need to make sure your toothbrush is angled correctly at your gum line so that you're fully accessing both your gums as well as your teeth.

You should brush all of the outer surfaces of your teeth first and then bush the inner surfaces afterwards. Next, focus on the chewing surfaces, and then use the top side of your toothbrush to clean both the inner and outer surfaces of your teeth again. And lastly, brush your tongue to remove any bacteria that has built up on your tongue's surface.

In order to learn how to clean your own teeth at home, you're also required to have the correct tooth brush, toothpaste, and tooth brushing technique.

Tooth Brush

It's important to have the right kind of tooth brush because no matter how well you brush your teeth, having a brush that's too big or that contains bristles that are too hard can be a problem. Colgate claims that in order to brush your teeth effectively, you are required to have a toothbrush that contains soft bristles.

Hard-bristled tooth brushes can cause damage to both your gums and your tooth enamel. Not only this, but you're required to have a tooth brush that fits perfectly into your mouth. Using one that's too small or too large will prevent you from reaching all of your teeth.

Toothpaste

It's also important to use the correct toothpaste because the right paste should be able to remove plaque from your teeth and help to strengthen your teeth at the same time. Because of this, you're advised to use fluoride toothpaste. It's responsible for strengthening your tooth enamel and removing bacteria from your mouth.

If you have specific problems with your teeth, you can use special fluoride toothpaste targeted towards improving your specific problem. For instance, there's fluoride toothpaste designed to improve cavities, tartar, your gums, gingivitis, sensitive teeth, and there's even toothpaste that is capable of whitening your teeth.

According to the American Dental Association, you should never swallow toothpaste because consuming large amounts of it can negatively affect your health.

Tooth Brushing Technique

In addition to having the right tools to brush your teeth, you'll need to use the right technique to achieve the best results when you learn how to clean your own teeth like a dentist. For instance, you'll need to only use a small amount of toothpaste.

Many people think that using more paste will make your teeth more clean, but that's not the case. In addition to this, you should brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes to make sure that you have cleaned all of them.

Your toothbrush should be angled at a 45-degree angle towards your gum line and your teeth. After this, you should brush your teeth in either a circular motion or up and down.

You shouldn't brush from side to side because this prevents you from removing the debris from in between your teeth. You're also recommended to refrain from brushing too hard because brushing too hard damages your gums and your tooth enamel.

Brush all surfaces of your teeth, including the fronts, backs, sides, and corners of all your teeth. You're advised to brush each side of your mouth for at least 30 seconds because this ensures that you're cleaning all of them. Lastly, the American Dental Association reminds you to brush your tongue to clean all of the bacteria on it, since bacteria on your tongue is the leading cause of bad breath.

Tip 4: How to Properly Use Mouthwash

It's important that you use mouthwash every day because it can ensures that your mouth stays cleaner for longer, bacteria is removed, and that your breath stays fresh for longer. Most people use mouthwash to mask the smell of their breath, but it can also be used to clean your mouth more than brushing and flossing does. And the type of mouthwash you want depends on the reason you're using mouthwash in the first place.

According to WebMD, you should use fluoride mouthwash because it's responsible for protecting and strengthening your teeth. Additionally, anti-bacterial mouthwash is responsible for eliminating the bacteria in your mouth and cosmetic mouthwash is capable of masking bad breath. Some mouthwashes contain alcohol, but they tend to dry out your mouth after using them.

How and When to Use Mouthwash

It's questionable whether it is more effective to use mouthwash before or after brushing and flossing your teeth, but you're still advised to use it regardless of when. In order to effectively use mouthwash, you'll need to choose the right type for you. Depending on whether you have bad breath, a large amount of plaque, or need extra protection, you'll need to choose the type of mouthwash that's designed to improve the conditions of your specific mouth.

To use your mouthwash effectively, you should pour about 15 milliliters of the wash into the cap and then rinse around in your mouth for about 30 seconds. After this, you should gargle the mouthwash in the back of your throat to make sure that the bacteria is removed from the back of your tongue. Lastly, spit the mouthwash out and don't rinse afterwards to ensure that the wash can continue to do its job cleaning your mouth.

Everyone knows that you're recommended to brush your teeth twice a day and floss once a day. But doing only this still isn't enough to remove all of the tartar, bacteria, and plaque build up in your mouth. Because of this, you're recommended to get your teeth professionally cleaned by a dental hygienist at least twice a year. But sometimes this isn't enough and you want to deep clean your teeth at home.

Although it may be difficult, it's still possible and even recommended to learn how to clean your own teeth at least once a month at home. Make sure that you have the right equipment, technique, and knowledge to effectively deep clean your teeth, and you can enjoy having teeth that both look and feel healthy.