Taking care of teeth.

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.

Well - it's been a total bust for me, until yesterday when I finally managed to brush and floss. My gums were really irritated. Now to keep it going.

I recommend Amazon.com link for Spry xylitol mints. They won't protect the gums, but they will protect teeth from caries. They are pleasant and tasty and you can build a habit of taking them by simply placing a jar next to your computer. This way you will know you are doing something good for your teeth and that something, unlike flossing and brushing, is painless.

thanks Tart Cherry Jam for the gum suggestion.

Well did better, managed to brush and floss again yesterday.

This particular link is for mints that dissolve in the mouth, but there is also xylitol gum. For instance, Epic Dental sells high Xylitol content gum, both on its website and on Amazon. I used to chew it but later discovered mints and now prefer them.

oh ok. Thanks for the additional info Tart Cherry Jam.

Managed to brush and floss again yesterday.

Great news!!

Keep it up, taking it one day at a time.

Brushed and flossed again yesterday. In good news my gums seem to be less irritated by the flossing.

It will only get better with regular upkeep. Good job!

Thanks Tart Cherry Jam.

Managed to floss yesterday.


I don't want to jinx myself by setting too high a goal, but I'm kind of thinking that I'd like to commit to, and see if I can hit, at least brushing and flossing 5 days / week for the month of June.

Managed to floss yesterday. So far it's a good start to the month.