If you have been keeping up with regular dental check-ups before COVID-19, you know what it’s like to get your teeth professionally cleaned. We are able to get  over those rough edges you can’t, detail the oral interior, and leave your mouth feeling like it just left the car wash. As you know, your dentist moves in close and uses a special scraping tool to remove plaque from your teeth.  Calcified spots are targeted (they look like little white or yellow marks on the outer surface of the enamel). We know you are all missing this service, with us not being able to open up for regular appointments, so here are a few tips and tricks to get you through until you can come back!

Getting Rid of Plaque and Tartar at Home

Obviously we would never suggest that home remedies should substitute proper dental care, but we have found some methods that have proved very effective.

Brushing the Right Way

Brush those chompers for three minutes, with an even amount of pressure, and make sure you cover all sides you can reach with a toothbrush. We strongly suggest an electric toothbrush that can vibrate some of that plaque off for you.

Fluoridated Toothpaste

Flouride strengthens the tooth enamel and lessens the risk of decay and helps decayed teeth to heal and regenerate.

Tartar Control Toothpaste

Tartar control toothpaste does exactly what it says it will do- controls tarter built-up. Sometimes you need that extra antibiotic kick.

Baking Soda

Baking soda was a cleaning substance for teeth long before we had so many options in toothpaste. It can be a little rough as it files gross stuff from the surface of enamel.

-1 tablespoon of baking soda
-Add a pinch of salt
Wet a toothbrush and dip it and go for it.

Aloe Vera and Glycerine

-1 cup of water
-Half a cup of baking soda
-1 Teaspoon of aloe vera gel
-A few drops of lemon essential oil
-4 teaspoons of a vegetable glycerine
Scrub.

Orange Peel Rub Down

Rub it directly or mash up the peel and see if that offers any whitening effect to your teeth.

Eating Lots of Fruit and Vegetables

Put on your next grocery list:

Apples
Broccoli
Celery
Carrots
Peppers

Sesame Seeds

Pop a few of these in your mouth, chew them up, take an old toothbrush (don’t wet it) and brush your teeth while the seeds are still in your mouth.

Figs

Eat a handful (three or four) figs -not Newtons- all at the same time and swish this around in your mouth. Here is a good opportunity to play the “see-food” game with a kid who has never seen that before.

Floss

You simply cannot reach the areas you need to reach with a brush-electric or not.

We all know you aren’t going to read much more than this, so let’s continue this on the next blog entry…