My effective mouth-cleansing routine

C

Catal

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I have developed a very cost efficient routine to clean my teeth and mouth, not that my mouth is exceptionally dirty, but everyone needs to clean it right? It involves an alternative type of floss and mouth wash/teeth whitener. Most peeps know, use or have heard about it, but our inherent consumerism makes us spend more dough than what is necessary. I am thrilled to share this routine with you now :D , because apparently I have nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon.

So firstly I have found that normal commercial floss is rather slick, so I use common clothing thread instead as it has much greater traction and removes a lot more plaque. Specifically I am using a 100m spool of Mettler metrosene Plus 100% Polyester Art. 1171 @ R9.30 as my floss, single threaded and I find that it reaches breaking point just as I have about finished flossing all my teeth.

By doubling the tread up in a twist I can push underneath and through my lower inner brace. I know right, what am I, a teenager that still wears braces? :confused: No. Have you noticed how many people have crooked front teeth in the lower jaw? You can look at almost any male actor and they will have crooked lower teeth, so I'd like to keep my lower inner brace for as long as possible; it's inconspicuous and hard to see if you're not looking for it.

Then after flossing I brush my teeth with normal tooth paste and a normal brush.

Finally but most importantly I use 4% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) as my mouth wash/ teeth whitener. I buy 12% (40 Volume) Hydrogen Peroxide (100 ml) @ R9.50 and dilute it to 4% by adding 2 parts filtered water, or you can just buy 10 Volume or 20 Volume. H2O2 is said to be quite safe for use as a mouth wash when below 6% strength, and it's a great disinfectant, blood stopper (for when you've overdone your flossing) and it easily enters through the enamel to clean the whole tooth and it also increases reflectiveness leaving your pearls white as snow.

I have found that normal mouth washes tend to leave a bitter aftertaste due to the flavouring, but with H2O2 I find that my mouth acquires almost a natural strawberry taste. Besides the active ingredient in most whitening mouth washes is H2O2, so why not cut out the middle man?

Also as my daily breath mints I use Wrigley's Airwaves Drops Cherry Menthol (sugarfree). BTW has anyone seen the Pineapple Cool flavour of the same drops? And for my lip balm I use Labello Hydro Care, it's awesome.

So for roughly R19 I get floss and mouth wash that lasts for 3 months.
I know, I'm a cheap bastard. :p
 
thanks

this thread reminds me of the string thread posted by Boodles ....
 
Thanks its about time I started paying my dental hygiene the attention it deserves.
 
And here I'm spending:
R200 electric toothbrush (once off)
R70 replacement heads for toothbrush (2 heads = 4 months)
R60 plus white 5 min whitening gel which burns your gums to bleeding point if it touches for more than 10 seconds (not used often due to obvious reasons)
Listerine (2 bottles a month) - can't remember price
Colgate floss (about R20 monthly I think)

Plus 2 cleanings/checkups per year at the dentist (@ R350 each)

And my teeth still look ****e
 
Most people suffer from dental problems because they forget the basics. All you need to do is floss regularly and for the love of god, brush your tongue. I hate when peoples' tongues are caked with white gunk just because they don't take the time to brush it. Also, a decent mouthwash helps a lot with bad breath. Forget Colgate Plax, it's cheaper, but it's also a bunch of ****. Rather go for Listerene. My rule is, if it doesn't burn your mouth, it isn't working properly.

Proper dental hygiene is very easy to achieve, so it's a pity so many people don't have it.
 
Actually, at the end of the day I had a really bad experience with using Hydrogen Peroxide that I bought from Dischem or a general pharmacy, because they use a preservative/stabilizer in those solutions that they don't mention. Its concentration is inconsistent, and it causes unwanted smells in your mouth.

Now I just use actual mouth washes, like Listerine Sensitive light blue and Colgate Plax Whitening (containing hydrogen peroxide as active ingredient).

Most important is to brush and scrape/rub down your tongue. This is the most important for starting a clean breath. Don't let TV and movies fool you, brushing your teeth is never enough. Your tongue is like a carpet that debris gets stuck in causing most of the bad smell. I had a hell of a time before learning this lesson, wish somebody emphasized this properly early on.

If I have to choose between brushing/scraping my tongue and brushing my teeth for fresh breath, I'll do my tongue every time. You can use a toothbrush to scrape your tongue by using the bristles angled out of your mouth. Brush tongue from tip to deep down without gagging, then press toothbrush hard against tongue from the back of the tongue and scrape forward, spit out. The toothbrush should ideally have a wide brush, and the toothbrush is pressed angled so that both the bristles and plastic rim scrapes down the tongue.

Less important, but also a factor is nasal phlegm, which tends to drip/move over the back of your tongue. Sometimes I use a neti pot, but I have found that the moisture causes irritation in my Eustachian tubes when I blow my nose too hard afterward. Otherwise a number of disgusting summonings of the phlegm into the mouth, and blowing nose can eject the aged phlegm. This requirement will vary from person to person.
 
oh my gosh............the most cheapest breath cleanser is the tongue cleanser method. after brushing your teeth, rinse your toothbrush and brush your tongue with the bristles. miley cyrus could use a lesson or two in this department. she is the worlds worst for the tongue caked with white muck and she is constantly sticking her tongue out. for what i don't know.
 
After my last check up with my oral hygienist, my teeth looked dull, as in what the hell did I pay R650+ for. Anyways, started doing some research...discovered the "joys" of all the crap you find in a tube of toothpaste.... started looking for alternatives. So started my routine of only brushing with Himalayan Salt and water...--my teeth have never been as white and sparkling...gums bleeds I use to have , have all but disappear. Note of caution, after about three weeks of changing my brushing routine, my mouth went super sensitive, too everything , as if my sense of taste had been enhanced.... cleared up after about two weeks...- All in a all, happy dumping toothpaste and going more natural.
 
Apparently when you rinse you should do it vigorously because the bacteria don't like the pressure.
 
yebocan said:
After my last check up with my oral hygienist, my teeth looked dull, as in what the hell did I pay R650+ for. Anyways, started doing some research...discovered the "joys" of all the crap you find in a tube of toothpaste.... started looking for alternatives. So started my routine of only brushing with Himalayan Salt and water...--my teeth have never been as white and sparkling...gums bleeds I use to have , have all but disappear. Note of caution, after about three weeks of changing my brushing routine, my mouth went super sensitive, too everything , as if my sense of taste had been enhanced.... cleared up after about two weeks...- All in a all, happy dumping toothpaste and going more natural.
Click to expand...

This sounds like a plan, Stan. Can you give more detail on the actual practical side of brushing with salt? I use Himalayan salt for cooking, but I'm sure the big chunks I grind won't fit on my toothbrush. How do you do it?
 
This reads like a terribly convoluted advertisement for Wrigley's Airwaves Drops Cherry Menthol.
 
MightyQuin said:
This sounds like a plan, Stan. Can you give more detail on the actual practical side of brushing with salt? I use Himalayan salt for cooking, but I'm sure the big chunks I grind won't fit on my toothbrush. How do you do it?
Click to expand...

Originally got introduced to Himalayan salt due to my hypertension issue...-amazingly, most doctors do not now the difference between natural salt and the iodized table salt that we just happily consume... http://www.xbrain.co.uk/table-salt-versus-himalayan-salt

As for my brushing routine,..two or three grinds, produces adequate amount of salt for me....mix in a bit of warm water, take a swig of the solution, swirl in in the mouth and just brush normally....couple more swigs, some more brushing... and all done...
 
Anyone try oil pulling?

I'm not usually one to try weird things but I've done it a few times and it makes my teeth whiter although some claim its due to the added brushing after oil pulling.
 
10 buck

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I have on occasion made my own toothpaste.
A mixture of hydrogen peroxide, salt and bicarb. Works really well.

Only once I put the mixture in a ceramic dispenser. The chemical reaction caused a massive pressure build up in the dispenser and it literally exploded. Luckily nobody was in the bathroom at the time. Mixture on the walls, ceiling, everywhere. SO was not impressed.
 
These are also useful. Seem to get whatever flossing misses.

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