4 Clean Steps to a Cool Mouth

You don’t have to floss all your teeth – just the ones you want to keep.
— A sign in a dental office

This isn’t a truncated 12 step program for those who swear like sailors. For that I would recommend soap. Indeed this is a 4 step method for achieving that fresh from the dentist clean feeling – between visits to your dentist.

By Peter Stuber

For most I hope it’s a review of something you’re already doing, but for those who are just too busy or lazy for consistently good oral hygiene, it might just be a new habit you can adopt. The steps can be adjusted to fit your individual needs as well as to accommodate how frequently in your week you find the time to do it. For some this may be a once-a-week ritual while for others it may be daily. I’m going to describe a very thorough version which could be done on the weekend when you are less time constrained. If you are able to do this more often, shorter times are acceptable.

Dragon’s Breath (Photo – commons.wikimedia.org).

1- Anti-Plaque pre brushing rinse

For this step the brand you choose is not critical. You may like the big name national brand but the drug store or dollar store versions are equally effective. The directions are:

• Rinse one tablespoon vigorously for 30 seconds prior to brushing. For busy people, staring at yourself in the bathroom mirror for 30 seconds in the morning can seem like an eternity. I suspect many people rush this step and swish for maybe 10-15 seconds and that’s it. I recommend finding a distraction in the bathroom while you rinse to make the time pass more easily. You may need to replace that empty bottle of shampoo, put out a fresh roll of toilet tissue, or maybe the soap dispenser is empty. In this day and age you can always look at your cell phone, check messages or be self absorbed and take a quick selfie.

Well you get the idea. Find something to make the time pass and if you end up rinsing for 1-2 minutes that’s even better. And by all means feel free to use a little more than just a spoonful.

Brushing teeth (Photo commons.wikimedia.org).

2- Brush your teeth

For this step once again the brand of toothpaste is not critical, however, you may want to stay away from a particular national brand until they change their formula. (Read about it here)

• Brush your teeth thoroughly with your favorite toothpaste and toothbrush of appropriate bristle strength. I highly recommend an electric battery powered or rechargeable toothbrush if you’ve never tried one. It makes the job even quicker and easier.
• 30 seconds really isn’t quite enough for this step so I suggest at least 1 minute (or 2) to be thorough. If needed utilize distractions to help pass the time.

Note: If I was going to include a 5^th step I suppose it would be to brush your tongue. Many people do but some don’t because it tickles. If you are the type who brushes your tongue, then feel free to add that step here.

Hippo using antlers for flossing

3- Floss

You’ll be amazed at what comes out from between your teeth even after an anti-plaque rinse and thorough brushing.

• If your gums bleed every time you floss then you definitely aren’t doing it often enough. Think of it as a massage for your gums as well as a cleaning for the space between your teeth. Be gentle when possible especially if your gums tend to bleed. The brand of floss isn’t important so choose something that works for you. I know some of you prefer to floss before brushing. If you’re in that camp, feel free to switch the steps accordingly. The rinse helps loosen plaque prior to any other step so I do think you should keep that step as number one. Flossing after the rinse and brush is just my personal preference.

Since flossing is an active process requiring both hands and a mirror, you probably won’t need or be able to use any distractions for this step.

Final rinse (Photo – youtube.com).

4- Final Rinse

This is the final step to achieving a truly clean feeling of your teeth and mouth as well as having very fresh breath.

• As in all the other steps, brand here isn’t critical. If you are able to handle strong mouthwash (the kind that tends to burn) then go for it full strength. There are gentler versions available now that don’t have the strong burn so your choices have expanded.
• Directions are similar to pre-rinse except the quantity is increased to four tablespoons.
• Use plenty and try to exceed the recommended 30 seconds of swishing.
• An alternative to the full strength mouthwash is to mix half mouthwash and half Hydrogen Peroxide 3% solution. If using the strong type of mouthwash, this is a great way to tame it down and allow you to keep it in your mouth longer.

You may indeed need to find a distraction so you can reach into the 1-2 minute range. Putting in the time on each of these steps will ensure you achieve an exceptional level of oral hygiene.

There you have it. If you follow these steps carefully I believe you can experience that same feeling as when you’ve just been to the dentist. Do this on a regular basis and your spouse, friends, neighbors, relatives and loved ones will all thank you. You won’t knock anyone over when you open your mouth to speak, and certainly you’ll avoid being called “fish breath” by your friends.

Let’s clean up the air – one mouth at a time.

Peter Stuber is a full time IT Technician for a group of Los Angeles based charter schools. Peter is also an experienced audio engineer, with knowledge of graphics and sign printing. His educational background includes extensive music study as well as computer science. Hobbies include composing music, photography, and travel in addition to brushing and rinsing.