Oral hygiene has been something I’ve thought about constantly for as long as I can remember. I was always obsessed with braces, white teeth, big smiles, and all things related to taking care of my teeth! I had braces for almost four years and once I got them off in 2020, I became obsessed with taking care of my smile.
Oddly enough, I never smile with my teeth. Despite the years of braces, taking care of my teeth, and always being told how I should smile with my teeth, I just don’t like the way it makes my face look. I honestly don’t take such pride in my oral care routine to have a nice smile in pictures; I just really enjoy the way it makes me feel.
My oral hygiene routine began after I got my braces off. I started with just flossing every night and brushing regularly. When I got my braces off, I noticed that I had a tooth scar. This can be caused by a number of things, but for me, it was because my bracket was too close to my gum, meaning I was unable to brush that area as well as it needed to be brushed. The foods and drinks I had while wearing braces caused the tooth to have a line of demineralization. This was and still is a very big insecurity of mine. You wouldn’t know I had the tooth scar if I didn’t tell you, but it makes me really self-conscious. After seeing the scar, I wanted it to go away completely. I had gone through almost four years of braces to have that one insecurity take away the joy of having perfect teeth. I invested in whitening toothpastes, tried out whitening treatments, and even made an appointment to get the scar filled at the dentist. My dentist told me that scars happen, and that if I got any work done to it I would have to continue getting it fixed for the rest of my life. Hearing this turned me away from wanting to get it medically fixed, because keeping up with such a small thing (that costs so much money) for the rest of my life was not something that piqued my interest. I decided that I could fix this on my own!
I first started with the basics like flossing, using mouthwash, and brushing twice a day. I also added whitening strips in when I felt like it, but they ended up making my teeth really sensitive and I didn’t notice significant enough results to continue using them. Throughout high school, this routine stayed the same with mouthwash coming and going as I felt like it. I swear by the Crest 3D White Advanced Radiant Mint toothpaste. I have used this since I got my braces off, because that is when you can start using whitening toothpastes and treatments again. This toothpaste is truly my holy grail and I have noticed a real difference in the whitening of my teeth!
There’s no specific brand of floss that I swear by; I recommend using any brand of flossers you can get. Yes, I know these aren’t as good as using string floss, but I have always had my dentists and oral doctors tell me how beautiful and healthy my gums are! I typically buy the Oral-B Glide Scope Outlast flossers.
Over the past year or so, I have become a mouthwash lover. I literally feel incomplete if I do all of my other oral care steps but don’t finish with a mouthwash. My absolute favorites are Listerine and TheraBreath. I have used the Listerine Freshburst Antiseptic mouthwash in the spearmint flavor since I was a little kid, and I still use it now. My trick is to use that in the mornings after brushing so I have a minty smell for the rest of the day. I also love the Cool Mint flavor! Therabreath mouthwash is actually a pretty new addition to my nightly routine, and I love it so far! On my birthday in September, my girlfriend got me the Dentist Formulated Anticavity Oral Rinse mouthwash by them and it’s amazing! She got the pink one without knowing its benefits and she absolutely made the right call! I use this at night after I brush and floss so that the fluoride can do its thing.
Another gift she got me for my birthday was the Philips Sonicare 4100 Plaque Control toothbrush. Can you tell I was getting into my oral hygiene obsession around my birthday? When I tell you guys this toothbrush has made me that much more obsessed with oral hygiene … it is so good. There are two settings you can use, and it also has a pressure sensor to let you know when you’re brushing too hard. It even has a two minute timer with beeps every 30 seconds to let you know when to switch to the other side of your mouth!
Oral hygiene doesn’t have to be something you dread keeping up with. Mental health struggles can make it so hard to put time and effort into your routine, but with the right products you can become excited about the five or so minutes at the start and end of the day when you care for your teeth! Finding products that are your favorite color or flavor is a great place to start. I also must add that having your dentists or oral doctors tell you your teeth and gums look amazing is such a great feeling! The surgeon who took my wisdom tooth out couldn’t stop raving about how beautiful my teeth were, and it felt amazing to hear that my care for my teeth had been noticed!