As About.com writes, you generally should be visiting your family dentist twice per year. That’s the bare minimum for keeping your teeth healthy and nipping any potential problems in the bud. What about the time between your regular cleanings? What if you’re not noticing anything unusual, or you don’t want to pay for a third cleaning that your insurance won’t cover? With these four tips for keeping your teeth clean between visits to your family dentist, you can keep your teeth clean and healthy at home.

Four at-Home Tips for Keeping Your Teeth Clean Between Visits to the Family Dentist

1. Get the Right Toothbrush

As reputable family dentists can tell you, not every toothbrush is right for every person. According to WebMD, you need to choose a brush that sits comfortably in your hand, with bristles that are neither so hard that they hurt your teeth nor too soft that they fail to keep your pearly whites looking their best. Most will recommend a soft to medium bristled brush that leaves your enamel intact.


2. Don’t Brush After Meals

You know how you’ve been told your entire life to brush your teeth after meals? Yeah, that might not be the best idea. Especially if you eat a diet high in acid, brushing your teeth immediately after meals will strip away your enamel that the acid has softened. Likewise, if you drink coffee or tea, drink some water and wait for an hour before brushing your teeth. Remember, you can’t get your enamel back once it’s gone.


3. Be Methodical

Chances are that when you’ve gone in for family dental care, your family dentist has mentioned some spots where you could improve your brushing. If that sounds familiar, just try being more methodical. As the general family dentistry professionals at Colgate write, you should start with your upper teeth, then move on to your lower teeth. Next, do your inner teeth on both levels. Lastly, scrub the chewing surfaces. Following this regime, you’re much less likely to hear “you missed a spot” ever again.


4. Brushing is One Part of the Equation

For Mayo Clinic, keeping your teeth white and avoiding the costs of cosmetic dentistry procedures is as simple as remembering that brushing your teeth is only part of keeping your teeth clean and healthy. Be sure to floss regularly and brush your tongue to give bacteria no place to hide in your mouth.

Are you a dental hygienist or dentist? What additional tips would you give readers on keeping their teeth clean while they’re away from your office? Sound off in the comment section below! Read more like this.