These days, everybody has a slightly different daily routine as we all adapt to the “new normal,” but this shouldn’t apply to your daily oral care. Ensuring you maintain good oral care habits will help anyone achieve a healthy mouth, decreasing the risk of common oral diseases like gum disease and tooth decay. Equally importantly and especially now, good oral health can protect your overall health, reducing your risk of diabetes, dementia, heart disease and strokes.

A healthy smile only requires the three simple steps taking less than 10 minutes each day to complete. Your daily oral care routine should include twice-daily toothbrushing, once-a-day flossing, and mouthwash if you like.

1. Brush your teeth at least two minutes, twice a day, with fluoride toothpaste. Toothbrushing is essential because it removes plaque bacteria that would otherwise cause infection and disease. Ideally, brush your teeth last thing at night and first thing in the morning.
2. You must clean between your teeth because your toothbrush bristles cannot reach these areas. Use dental floss, but if you find this tricky, try using interdental brushes or soft picks, or purchase a water pik which is super easy and quick to use.
3. If you want to use mouthwash, it’s up to you whether you rinse your mouth before or after brushing. Look for an antibacterial mouthwash containing fluoride.