Taking care of teeth.

I went to the dentist today. Turns out I didn’t need a filling they thought I did. So they just repaired a chipped front tooth while I was there. Looks a lot better now. Have an appointment in July to get my 7 year old crown replaced

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@Blue_Bird I'm glad you didn't need a filling.

Well the past 2 days have been a bust. I'm really struggling with what my mental block around this is.

I’m sorry you’re struggling, the good thing though is that you’re trying to incorporate the habit, that’s the first step it takes time, you will get there

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For 30 minutes after brushing, nothing, including water, should be in the mouth. This allows fluoride to work. So brushing in the shower is not ideal.

I brush and then wipe my mouth with a paper towel. It is important not to rinse the mouth with water after brushing, again, to let the fluoride do its work.

I also alternate between two kinds of fluoride, sodium fluoride and stannous fluoride. You can buy toothpaste with one or the other OTC, but for sodium fluoride, I use prescription strength toothpaste. My dentist has endorsed my practice of alternating between sodium and stannous fluoride.

I am too tired in the evening so I have my oral care routine in the morning. Immediately upon waking up, I floss very carefully, then use a tongue scraper, then brush with an electric brush for two minutes, wipe my mouth with a paper towel and set the timer on my microwave for 30 minutes. During that time, I usually apply the sunscreen booster, then sunscreen, then go for a slow walk around the apartment complex. This way I get the morning sunlight which is supposed to really help with the sleep-wake cycle, and I also love it. When I am back, usually 30 minutes have passed and I can make my coffee and if I have time for it, cook breakfast.

Ideally I would brush twice a day but I am too tired in the evening. And I have done extensive research into this and found out that brushing once a day is enough. As for flossing, there is a 24 hour cycle to plaque formation so if you floss once in a 24 hour period, you break this cycle and that is all that is needed.

My dentist says that my gums can be displayed at an exhibition, so the ritual I have developed works very well.

More than 10 years ago there was a time when I simply could not make myself floss. But I was at a very low point. I have a far healthier mouth now than I did a decade ago.

Well, managed to floss last night, and boy were my gums irritated. But I feel good about doing it.

I use sensodyne toothpaste for sensitive teeth. It really makes a difference. If i skip brushing a few days, i find out!

The prescription strength fluoride toothpaste you get from a pharmacy has an ingredient of Sensodyne in it, too. The best of two possible worlds.

Brushed and flossed the last 2 nights. Small progress.

I fell out of the habit for a couple days but got back on track today and brushed and flossed this morning. Will do it all again tonight

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I use sensodyne too. Specifically their enamel strengthening/repair kind

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I know you were replying to someone else but just wanted to say that’s good to know about the fluoride thing and not drinking anything 30 minutes after brushing. I wasn’t aware of that

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I was surprised to know, too, but it makes sense that you would not want to dilute and almost delete the beneficial effect of fluoride.

I brushed and flossed /mouthwash this morning, doing it again tonight

Blue_bird,

I think you're on to something with brushing, flossing in the morning. Since I seem to be too tired to do it at night, I'm going to try to do it in the mornings and see how it goes.

I hate to burst peoples bubble, but im pretty sure dentists would prefer you clean your teeth before bed, as cooties proliferate in that dark moist environment. But if morning works better for you, they say okay.

unaluna, I'm sure you're right about brushing at night being more important, but I'm kind of looking at it as if I can't get it together at night, then mornings are better than nothing.

Managed to floss last night, and my gums weren't as irritated which I'm taking as a good sign.

Yeah i dont know why its all so hard for me. My dental hygiene as a child waz horrible. Its like my parents found some weird satisfaction in my self destruction. But mostly they just didnt pay attention.

Night flossing is kinda my thing, though, although sometimes i have a hard time hanging onto it. My dentist has told me if its a choice between night flossing or night brushing, go for the flossing. I have all the "deals"!

The dentists would absolutely prefer we clean the teeth before bed for this reason, but they would also prefer that we clean the teeth first thing in the morning, of the bad stuff that accumulates at night. The fact is, the ADA recommends brushing twice a day. It is not an option for me and it would interfere with my ability to go to bed on time, because you are not supposed to brush for 30 minutes after eating, 60 minutes if you eat acidic foods and I often eat tomatoes, and that means waiting after dinner and I eat a later dinner. So, apart from the fact that I am simply tired in the evening to do the laborious task of flossing, I cannot fit in brushing given my late dinner. In the morning, flossing is very first thing I do after, of course, going to the bathroom, and I have the energy and attention span to do it right. If you can brush twice a day, including right before bed, of course it is better than what I do. If it is just once a day, there is an argument for the evening and an argument for the morning, but making sure acid is not acting on your enamel right before you subject the enamel to brushing is an important factor.

It is a good sign! Just keep at it. And, the author of Tiny Habits started with flossing one tooth and built the habit up from there. It is a good book which is available on Audible.