You Hate Brushing Your Teeth? What You Need to Know to Have Healthy Teeth

So you hate brushing.. not your hair but your teeth..

The good news is you are not alone. If everyone brushed regularly the number of people with dental issues would have dropped significantly. But, that unfortunately is not the case. We see many patients in our office everyday that brushing is not a priority for them. They are otherwise very well groomed and clean people but there is that thing about brushing your teeth that is just not as fun as brushing your hair , for example, before going out for a drink with friends.

There are a few life-hacks that might help you get into the habit of brushing your teeth. You can even use it on your kids to encourage them to brush their teeth:

Change when you brush: It can help you to teach your mind to associate brushing your teeth with happy events. For example try brushing before going out with friends or before your date. After a while, your mind will start associating happiness with brushing your teeth and you’ll actually start enjoying it.

Change your brush: Do you have a manual brush? I wouldn’t blame you then … Honestly the biggest issue that I had with the manual brush was that you’d never know when it’s time to stop.. did’t know how much pressure to apply or what direction or motion to use.. My first electric toothrbush was the OralB spinhead brush and I loved it! I later on switched to the Sonicare, just to try (I’m a dentist and want to try what I’m recommending to my patients). I ended up liking the Sonicare better than the OralB but my boyfriend is still using the OralB and loving that over the Sonicare; so it’s a personal preference in that sense. But the bottom line is that once the switch happened, it made a huge difference. It times your brushing and does the motions for you. So it’s quite passive compared to a manual brush and honestly it feels really clean.

Get a water/air-pick for flossing:  You could be an awesome brusher but wouldn’t floss which is bad. Flossing might be worse than brushing for some people as it’s uncomfortable to do or feels like it takes a while. Using a water/air floss is a life changer! It’s faster and cleaner and, if done right, can significantly improve your oral health.

Use mouthwash: This is rather easy and impactful. It helps your gums, specially if you have bleeding in your gums, not to mention that it helps to feel fresh. It doesn’t replace brushing but it’s a great adjunct to brushing before getting drinks with friends.

Needless to say, you should see your dentist at least every 6 months for cleaning and checkup to make sure your teeth are in good conditions. Following these easy tips, with a bit of genetic luck, will help you avoid potential dental procedures and will keep your smile beautiful for a while to come.

Here is a list of toothbrushes that we recommend for every budget. We strongly recommend having an electric toothbrush because it’s both more effective and easier to use for brushing your teeth: