After eating and drinking, I will teach you two small moves to improve your oral health!

Author: Rong Wensheng, Chief Physician, Peking University School of Stomatology

Vice Chairman of the Oral Prevention Committee of the Chinese Stomatological Association

Reviewer: Qin Man, Chief Physician, Peking University School of Stomatology

Chairman-elect of the Pediatric Dentistry Committee of the Chinese Stomatological Association

With the improvement of living standards, the diet is too rich for us, and many drinks and desserts have entered our lives. After eating and drinking, you will feel satisfied. At this time, you need to do a small action to maintain oral health to a certain extent.

In addition to drinking water and tea, it is recommended to rinse your mouth with clean water after drinking other beverages, such as carbonated drinks, yogurt, juice, or after eating.

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1. Why is it recommended to rinse your mouth with water after eating and drinking?

After eating or drinking, the pH value in the mouth will drop and become acidic. In addition, there will be food residues in the mouth, and some carbohydrates will be eaten by bacteria in the mouth to produce acid.

Rinsing your mouth with water can relieve or neutralize the acidic environment in your mouth as quickly as possible, allowing the pH value to return to normal as soon as possible. If you don't rinse your mouth after eating, it will take two hours for the acidic environment in your mouth to return to normal through saliva secretion, and your teeth are equivalent to being soaked in an acidic environment for these two hours.

Teeth are minerals. Once acid erodes, the minerals will dissolve from the teeth, and the teeth will become soft. In addition, if the brushing method is incorrect, the force is too strong, and the mechanical friction causes the minerals on the surface of the teeth to be lost.

Some people do not want to rinse their mouths, so they can chew sugar-free gum. The gum does not contain sucrose, but sugar alcohols such as xylitol and sorbitol. Although it tastes sweet, bacteria cannot use it to produce acid.

When chewing sugar-free gum, it will stimulate the secretion of saliva, which also plays a role in buffering and neutralizing the acidic environment in the mouth. In addition, the large amount of saliva secretion can also wash away some of the soft plaque on the surface of the teeth.

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If you chew gum containing sucrose, this process will be aggravated. Most of the sucrose will be used by bacteria to produce acid, which will create a more acidic environment. Therefore, you should choose sugar-free gum.

Some people are unwilling to rinse their mouths and have no habit of chewing gum. They also like to drink carbonated drinks, yogurt, and fresh fruit juice. If you have to drink, it is recommended to drink with a straw. When you drink with a straw, it basically reaches the back of the throat and has less contact with the teeth. If you drink with a cup, your teeth will be soaked in the drink.

It is recommended to rinse your mouth immediately after eating and drinking, or chew sugar-free gum, which helps maintain oral health. However, it should be noted that this cannot replace brushing your teeth, and you should brush your teeth every day.

It would be more perfect if you rinse your mouth half an hour before brushing your teeth after eating acidic foods such as fruits, and then use dental floss after brushing your teeth.

2. What are the benefits of flossing after brushing your teeth?

In fact, dental floss is as important as toothbrush in removing dental plaque. No matter which toothbrush you use, manual or electric, you can't reach the gaps between teeth, which is prone to plaque growth, leading to caries and gingivitis, which requires dental floss to help.

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At what age can you use dental floss?

As long as there are two teeth growing side by side in the mouth, and the adjacent surfaces are attached to each other, dental floss needs to be used. When a child has two small deciduous teeth growing side by side, it is necessary not only to brush his teeth, but also to use dental floss to clean the gaps between his teeth.

So, how to use dental floss correctly?

When using dental floss, be sure to look in front of a mirror so that you can see the gaps between your teeth.

Dental floss is made of parallel fibers, unlike a rope. When you give it a force, it can become very thin and can go between two teeth. Dental floss also comes in different thicknesses, so start with the thinnest floss.

When using dental floss, place the dental floss between two teeth, and slowly go into the gap between the teeth like a saw. Then scrape along the left tooth surface, then scrape along the right tooth surface, and then take out the dental floss like a saw.

Do not use brute force. Gently insert the dental floss into the gap between teeth and then gently take it out. Using dental floss correctly will not make the gap between teeth bigger.

For ordinary people, it is recommended to use dental floss at least once a day, at least before going to bed, and after brushing your teeth to clean your teeth. In addition to dental floss, you can also use a toothbrush.

Some people like to use toothpicks to pick their teeth. Is it okay to use toothpicks?

It is not recommended to use toothpicks because they are relatively thick and hard. Many people use toothpicks to pick upwards, and this force makes the gaps between teeth bigger and bigger. If food is stuck in the teeth, you can use dental floss to pick it out.

To maintain oral health, in addition to brushing your teeth every day, rinse your mouth with water after eating and drinking, try to drink beverages with a straw, and use dental floss once after brushing your teeth at night. These few small actions can help maintain oral health and are easy to do. Especially rinsing your mouth, just rinse your mouth after eating and drinking water.