Taking Care of Our Teeth

I had a dentist visit a couple of months ago and it's always a pleasure going there as I always learn something new. For one, the dentist said that a lot of people my age (early 30's) have really bad teeth so she was surprised that I only had minimal damage. She asked me about my routine and why my teeth were so shiny. I never really knew this until she pointed it out. She also taught me a few things on how to better take care of my teeth.

Use medium bristles

I use soft bristles because I have sensitive gums and they easily bleed but I find it hard to clean my teeth. The dentist said that medium bristles are the way to go to really get rid of the stuff that sticks to our teeth. So, I changed toothbrushes and could really tell the difference. She said that if you use soft bristles, in just two weeks, food will accumulate in your teeth and you might need another dentist cleaning.

Brush softly

Since I use a soft toothbrush, my tendency is to brush harder so my gums suffer. Now that I'm using medium bristles, I am kinder to my gums.

Floss

Floss at least once a day especially if you have teeth that are so close together like I do. It's also a great way to take care of sensitive gums.

Mouthwash

After I floss, I follow up with a mouthwash. Just find one that suits you. If I don't get to floss, I use mouthwash. The dentist said that she uses dahon ng bayabas (guava leaves) as a mouthwash. Just boil the leaves and you have a cheap mouthwash that's effective. She said that it freshens breath and lasts the whole day. I can't do this so I just settle for the ones that can be bought from the store.

Toothpaste

It's so hard for me to find an organic toothpaste that meets all my requirements so I settle for the popular brands.

By the way, if you've ever read/heard that story about the colored stripes on toothpaste tubes, it's not true. It says that green striped toothpastes are all natural, blue is natural plus medicine, red is natural and chemicals and black is all chemicals. Apparently, the stripes are markings so that the machine will know where to cut the tubes. Whether you believe this or not, it's still good to check the ingredients in the products you buy.

I found a tube of Darlie toothpaste in my SIL's bathroom so I asked about it. I've been wanting to try it ever since I saw it on my first trip to SG but never got around to buying some. She said that it's a good toothpaste and it's cheap so I went ahead and bought some.

I've been using this for a few weeks now and I'm pretty happy with it. I think it made my teeth a bit whiter. It also has a nice taste and I can't complain about the packaging (which what attracted me to it in the first place). I like that it looks like an old school toothpaste because of that man and the font used.

I made a quick Google and found out that Darlie is only sold in Asia but is under the Colgate-Palmolive brand. (So that's why it tastes familiar). It used to be called Darkie but that name is disrespectful so Colgate-Palmolive changed it. They changed the logo too. Read all about it here.

Other ways to take care of your teeth

If you have sensitive teeth and gums, avoid too sweet, too sour, too hot and too cold food. You should also massage your gums after brushing your teeth. With clean fingers, massage your gums in a circular motion. This is part of good oral hygiene. And of course, don't forget to visit your dentist for regular cleanings.

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