If you are truly struggling and need actual dental care, try searching for a local dental school near you. Many will take patients for cheap or free, with the caveat that a dental student will be performing the treatment.
Otherwise, brush at least twice a day and floss. Do not re-use strands of floss, like with those convenient plastic picks. You’ll just be transferring bacteria to each crevice after it’s been used.
Get a water pick (whatever it’s called) - I heard those are great but I don’t have one myself.
Also, in my area, most dentists will allow you to pay over time (like a year+…).
And there are FREE programs like this:
Niagara’s Mobile Dental Clinic
Ask around - you may be surprised.
Every dentist I’ve had disliked water piks. I had one for a while. Had.
Any particular reason why?
Not the above poster but I’ve had dentists share the same sentiment and mostly I’ve heard it’s because the majority of their patients who use it, use it as a replacement for more thorough dental care–they don’t floss and/or brush because they think they’re getting clean enough with the pik. The dentist who told me this basically said, “It’s fine as a supplement after you brush and after you floss, to flush out any lingering debris from those two activities, but it’s really just not worth the time or money.”
… Wait, don’t reuse dental floss? Oh no. I thought the point was only to loosen gunk!
My yearly dental works always cost a fortune, but my teeth are great now, since:
- I got an electric brush and floss sticks;
- I now drink coffee without sugar (you’ll get used to it pretty quickly);
- I almost completely stopped drinking sugary drinks (mostly bubbly water now, boycotting evil companies and being poor help).
Point one is key! I will add to it, floss of any sort is great. And for my mouth ‘interdental brushes’ do just a little bit more, so the combination has become a key part of my dental routine.
As someone from the Netherlands, where cavities get checked twice a year and filled for a few euros a month, this is actually wild to read.
Do people here overpay insurance that much? Or is this just a business in some other countries? Or is it something else entirely?
Brush, floss and mouthwash. Stay clear of gum and soda.
Based on recent research, mouthwash is now in question in my books.
We aimed to assess if daily usage of Listerine Cool Mint influenced the composition of the pharyngeal microbiome… Listerine use was associated with an increased abundance of common oral opportunistic bacteria previously reported to be enriched in periodontal diseases, oesophageal and colorectal cancer, and systemic diseases. These findings suggest that the regular use of Listerine mouthwash should be carefully considered.
Basically, it differentially kills good bacteria, leaving more of the bad kind.
https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.001830
Mouthwash has never been a question in mine. Brush, floss, and genetics. Mouthwash is for suckers.
What about sugar-free gum?
It’s not the sugar, it’s the abrasive.
Totally true which is why I only chew abrasive free.
The gum itself is abrasive. Think worn tire grooves in an old road surface.
Isn’t xylitol gum recommended though? Maybe I’m using the wrong term.
Your teeth only have so much enamel. Chewing gum rapidly wears that down.
Waterflossers are better than nothing. Best is floss to get the stuff wedged at the contact, then interdental brushes to get the stuff under the contact - these must be snug, otherwise you’re not effectively using them.
Soft and small toothbrush, preferably an electric with a pressure sensor. The counter oscillating Crest/Oral B type is probably the most affordable. Don’t need to get the top model. Some only time 2 minutes instead of 30s, so I’d recommend counting to 30 seconds (properly! Not rushing!) and do a quarter of your mouth at a time. Point at the gumline a little when you brush, approximately 45 degrees. You must push your lips and tongue out of the way. Do an extra minute after you’re done with 2 minutes. Do this at least twice daily, consider a third time during the day, and you must not skip the one just before you sleep. Do not consume anything but water after this and prior to sleep. Do not get a midnight snack.
Use neutrafluor/prevident 5000 toothpaste, or clinpro 5000. Extra fluoride means extra protection from acid challenges. Use neutrafluor mouthwash if you must use a m/w during the day. Do not rinse the paste off your teeth.
Eliminate where possible from your diet anything sour, tart, or fizzy. That includes soda water and citrus and ACV. Eliminate where possible sweet things, including fruit - especially dried fruit.
Rinse with plain water after eating and drinking.
Common triggers of heartburn are foods that may be fried, fatty, and or spicy. Some people are triggered by dairy or lactose, or eating too late before lying down.
Treat your heartburn by prevention, not relievers. If you experience any symptom relating to heartburn, rinse thoroughly with plain water. Do this too if you vomit for any reason.
If you have dry mouth, try Xylimelts or the new range Freshmelts (this doesn’t seem toxic to dogs). You can wear these during your sleep. Also treat the origin of your dry mouth.
…I’m sure I have other tips… But these are the most common ones I make to my patients.
Another “not” stupid question - about the paste, I’ve seen this before where it says don’t rinse off the teeth. Does that mean you’re supposed to brush and spit out what you can, and just leave the foaming mess in your mouth as you sleep? I’m genuinely confused.
Once you’ve spat out as much as possible, it’s not a foaming mess, just a smear.
Many toothpastes don’t foam either.
If you dislike not rinsing at all, my tip is to brush, rinse, then smear a very small amount of fresh toothpaste on.
What with the multiple recommendations for a water pick in the comments, lemme drop some aggregated info I’ve gathered about them after asking multiple dentists and hygienists over the last few years while sitting around waiting for various things.
They’re great for what they are, but they aren’t as great as people think they are.
They do definitely work, no doubts, every single one that I talked about them with said that they’ll get the job done.
The problem is that they have a higher learning curve than you’d think, and that means they can cause more trouble than they fix.
See, you’re using the water pressure at an angle because of how you have to hold the pick and move it. The angle that you’ll likely use them at is the wrong one, and this means you are probably going to be shooting the plaque and debris the pick dislodges under your gums.
Obviously, that is not a good thing.
You can definitely learn how to avoid doing that with a bit of research, but most people don’t do that bare minimum research, they just start spraying and then wonder why their gums are bleeding and sore.
So, if you want to invest in a water pick (and tbh, saving the money to pay for a yearly cleaning would be better), make sure you take the time to use it properly. But, they aren’t better than floss at all, so unless you have some reason you can’t floss, why spend the money?
Brush, floss, no sugar
You forgot genetics.
Sadly genetics are not things you can do to maintain your teeth. You have them or you don’t have them. But regardless of your base genetics, regular flossing, regular brushing, and no sugar in your diet will give you the best dental hygiene you can hope for
hunt down people with genetically good teeth and steal their genome
Brush and floss
The same as you do if you can afford dental care:
Most importantly: Brush at least once, better twice a day. No exceptions ever. Make it part of your daily morning or evening rituals. It takes about a day for plaque to harden and then you can no longer brush it away. Don’t ever let it get to that.
If you can afford one, get an electric toothbrush.
Be gentle with the brush. All you need is a very soft scrubbing. Pressure can damage your teeth and gums.
Chewing gum can reduce acids and help remineralize your enamel after eating. Sugar free is better, but afaik even gum with sugar has a net positive effect if you chew it long enough after the sugar has dissolved.
Try to avoid getting into a routine that leaves out spots when brushing. Personally, I switch hands every day and once or twice a week I use a non-electric brush.
If you want to optimize this: those tablets that the dentist uses to stain plaque to check where you missed a spot are cheap, you don’t necessarily need a dentist for that if you can’t afford one.
Floss and use interdental brushes regularly. Use mouthwash every now and then, and at the first sign of gum inflammation. Preferably one without alcohol, because that seems to increase the risk of cancer.
If you can’t afford professional tooth cleaning, try asking for calculus removal, if you have any. Here in Germany that’s ~15€ instead of ~100€. Once it’s gone prevent it from building up again (see above).
If you have cavities, try to get rid of them as early as possible. Maybe there are some charity or teaching clinics. Cavities only ever get more expensive in the long run. And it is much easier to maintain an infection free mouth than to constantly fight to keep the decay from spreading.
Get a Sonicare toothbrush
This was a game changer for my gums and not brushing too hard. Wish I had known about Sonic Cares sooner!
One super easy thing to help a little is swish some water in your mouth after you east/drink. If you’re gonna drink something sugary or acidic, do it quickly, don’t sip it.
i find toothpaste and mouthwash miserable, and this is the advice i got from my dentist as well. Plus getting fluoride pills to suck on to make up for not getting flouride from the toothpaste.
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Brush and floss just like your dentist tells you. Also use a real mouthwash, like Listerine.
See comment above, but basically, I question whether mouthwash is all that, based on recent research: https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.001830
If you do exactly what your dentist tells you, you should be coming in every 6 months for a checkup…
And your point?
Fine. Don’t brush and floss every day. Don’t visit the dentist often. It’s your call. It’s your teeth.
Between genetics and laziness, most people need a cleaning every 6 months.
If you don’t think you do, then don’t. Last I checked the dentist isn’t your mom or dad.
That’s wildly out of the financial means of a lot of us.
Sorry, but it just gets more expensive to care for them later. Aim for at least a yearly cleaning/exam so that they can catch issues before they become serious. Twice a year is better.
And find a dentist that is conservative about fillings. My dentist almost never recommends procedures unless there is actual decay, and I trust them to not push work on me that I don’t need.
Bingo.
Pay now, or pay a LOT more later (with a lot more pain, and maybe major issues).
I’ve been there.
I had thousands of dollars of dental work done when I had no insurance and made $15/hr. Talked to the dentist, we worked out a plan to get the crucial stuff done. He didn’t want me leaving without a plan to take care things, despite OP’s implication about dentists being money grubbers.
My father owned a small business, people would sometimes complain he was “cheating them”. His answer - there’s more work than I can do in a day, I don’t need to fuck anyone to make a buck.
Shop around, you can frequently get discounts or cheaper rates if you tell them you’re uninsured / self pay. I’ve had to do this during tough financial times.
There may also be some luxuries or other corners you can safely cut if you go over your budget with a fine toothed comb.
OK?
OP was bitching about dentist telling him what to do. Why are you moving the goalposts?
if you find yourself saying that someone asking for advice or help is “bitching” about something, just do everyone (including yourself) a favour and ignore the post and go on with your day.
Gotta get the mouthwash with fluorine; not all kinds of Listerine have it.
Cut out soft-drinks in general.
They are not only packed full of sugar, but some very popular ones contain phosphoric acid. If you had to invent an combination of edible ingredients designed to damage tooth enamel, you couldn’t do worse. The fact that this is a diet-friendly option is almost a side-benefit. It’s that bad.
Watch YouTube videos on how to brush and floss.
I am absolutely taking the L here since I’ve apparently been brushing my teeth wrong for most of my life.
I’ll never get flossing right so water picking has been the next best thing.
I currently spend a 1-2k a year at the dentist, which imo, isn’t that bad. But probably way less had I learned proper brushing and had better flossing habits.
Flossing and brushing like everyone said, but toothpaste matters I used to swear by the Sensidine with “Novamin” (Calcium sodium phosphosilicate), from what I understand it can actually repair minor damage (e.g. prevent a soft spot from becoming a cavity). Sadly last I checked there was some patient in the US preventing it from being sold here. I brought back a decent bit when I moved back from the UK, but its all gone now. Amazon.co.uk or Boots.co.uk may ship it (but then it becomes legally questionable, I don’t know how close stuff like that is watched for at customs).
