The Ultimate Guide to the Best Oral Hygiene Routine

Everyone wants a beautiful smile, but taking good care of your mouth and teeth has benefits far beyond pearly whites. A good oral hygiene routine can help prevent common issues impacting your mouth, teeth, and gums, such as cavities and gum disease, and help maintain good oral health.¹

Here’s information to know as you put together the best oral hygiene routine for you.

Introduction to oral hygiene routines

A good oral hygiene routine is a basis for healthy teeth and gums. It can help you avoid with cavity prevention, and other dental problems that may occur. Poor oral health doesn’t just impact your mouth — it can affect your overall health, and is connected to diabetes, heart disease, respiratory problems, some cancer types, and Alzheimer’s disease.²

The good news is that an effective oral hygiene routine doesn’t have to be expensive, difficult, or time-consuming. In fact, good oral health and its benefits can usually be achieved by a relatively simple oral hygiene routine.

Choosing the right tools for oral hygiene

Using a toothbrush is a simple and easy way to remove plaque from your teeth. The brand or style of toothbrush you use isn’t as important as making sure it has soft bristles instead of medium or hard ones, and replacing it regularly. Soft bristles ensure you’re not hurting your teeth or irritating your gums. Experts recommend replacing your toothbrush every three to four months or when the bristles get worn down or matted.³ You can choose either a manual or an electric toothbrush, depending on your own preference and budget; the American Dental Association states that both are effective at removing plaque.³

Similarly, you don’t need a fancy toothpaste to get the best results. But you can look for the ADA’s seal when choosing a toothpaste, as the seal means that toothpaste has met the ADA’s criteria for safety and effectiveness. You can also choose a toothpaste with specialized ingredients, such as fluoride toothpaste for cavity prevention, whitening toothpastes to remove surface stains, or a toothpaste that helps reduce tooth sensitivity.⁴

You should also buy a product to help you floss your teeth. Flossing helps you get into the tight spaces that your toothbrush can’t. Floss comes in a few forms, any of which will do the job: traditional dental floss, dental picks, water flossers, or tiny brushes.⁵

The art of brushing and flossing

The correct way to brush your teeth is relatively simple: You should brush against your gumline at a 45-degree angle, brushing in small, gentle strokes. Don’t forget the inside of your front teeth: You can turn the brush vertically, and brush up and down. You should brush for two full minutes twice a day and make sure you’re reaching every surface of your teeth. And importantly, don’t be too rough — gentle pressure is all that’s needed, and brushing too hard can actually be damaging to your teeth and gums.³

In the same vein, be gentle when you floss. If you use traditional dental floss, use about 18 inches it each time. The floss should make a C shape and slide against the tooth, then into the space between the gum and the tooth. You will then hold the floss flush against the tooth and gently rub the floss up and down. Do this to all of your teeth, on both sides, including the ones in the back that may be hard to reach.⁵

You’ll want to floss at least once a day and brush for two minutes twice a day.¹ According to the American Dental Association, you can floss before or after brushing your teeth and at any time of the day, so choose what works best for you.⁵

Incorporating mouthwash into your routine

Mouthwash can be added to your oral hygiene routine, and it provides another way to keep your mouth fresh and help prevent common tooth issues. Mouthwash can help rinse out the hard-to-reach areas between teeth in a way that’s similar to dental floss. It can also help prevent tooth decay, reduce plaque and gingivitis, slow tartar formation, and freshen your breath.⁶

When choosing a mouthwash, ask your dentist for a recommendation or look for the ADA seal on the product. If you’re looking for a specific outcome or ingredient, such as fluoride to prevent tooth decay, you’ll want to look for a mouthwash that has that.⁶

You may be wondering if there are natural alternatives to traditional mouthwash that you could use instead. The short answer is many of the alternatives you may see have not been well-researched and may need further scientific evaluation to understand how they stack up to traditional mouthwash.⁷ However, some natural mouthwashes have been given the ADA’s seal of acceptance, and you can access a complete list of ADA-accepted mouthwashes on the ADA website.

Managing oral health with your diet and lifestyle

Your overall health and diet impact your oral health, and there are lifestyle changes you can make that can improve the condition of your mouth and teeth. Here are some diet and lifestyle changes that can improve your oral health and hygiene:

Eat a nutritious diet.
Calcium-rich foods, protein-rich foods, fruit, and vegetables are all great for your dental health.⁸

Avoid ultra-processed foods and food and drinks high in sugar.
Sugar can cause tooth decay and cavities.⁹

Drink fluoridated water.
Swap that soda out for a glass of water — not only do you skip the sugar, but if your water has fluoride, it can help protect your teeth.⁸

Quit smoking and using tobacco products.
Smoking and smokeless tobacco products contribute to tooth decay and increase your chances of getting oral cancer. They can also stain your teeth. Even e-cigarettes aren’t risk-free — while their effects have not yet been fully researched and understood, they may promote periodontal disease.¹⁰

How MetLife supports your oral hygiene routine

Regular dental checkups and cleanings are an important part of good oral hygiene and oral health. Dental insurance from a provider like MetLife can help make dental care affordable and accessible for you and your family.

MetLife dental insurance plans are offered mainly through employers, and depending on your plan, most cover 100% of preventive care services, including regular dental checkups and cleanings. That means the care that is a standard part of a good oral hygiene routine would be free of cost to you. MetLife plans may include coverage for preventive, basic, restorative, major and orthodontic services. MetLife’s MyBenefits online portal allows you to check coverage you’re your specific plan, as well and the status of your claims. Like with most dental insurance, cosmetic procedures are excluded, and treatment frequency and age limitations may apply.

In addition, MetLife offers an extensive network of providers, including those with the SpotLite on Oral Health designation. This designation is given to in-network providers that meet certain criteria for preventive oral health care.

Oral care for children

Parents can set their children up for good oral health habits from when they’re little. Even babies can benefit from an oral health routine. Here’s what a baby’s oral hygiene routine might look like:

• Wipe gums twice a day. Use a soft, clean cloth to do this after your baby’s first feeding of the day and right before bed for cavity prevention.
• Brush their teeth, once they have them. When their teeth come in, you can brush them twice a day with a soft, small toothbrush and water.
• See the dentist. Your baby’s first birthday is a good time for their first dentist appointment.¹¹

As children get older, what they need for good oral health changes slightly. Here are some tips for keeping children in good oral health:

• Brush teeth with a fluoride toothpaste. Once your child turns 2, they can graduate from water to toothpaste. Brush twice a day and help them until they have the motor skills needed to do a good job.
• Making tooth care fun. Instill good habits by making tooth care engaging instead of a chore. You can turn on a music video and brush to the beat, tell your child a story, or offer a reward to motivate them and make toothbrushing something they look forward to.¹²
• Consider dental sealants. Talk to your dentist about dental sealants — they can prevent 80% of cavities when applied to permanent back teeth that have grooves.¹¹

Addressing common oral health issues

Here’s a look at what you can do about some common dental issues. Be sure to consult you’re your dentist for the best course of action.

Cavities: One of the most common oral health problems is cavities, and the best way to address cavities is to prevent them in the first place. A good dental hygiene with regular brushing, flossing, dental visits, and fluoride use will go a long way toward preventing cavities from developing. However, once you have a cavity, you have permanent damage to a tooth that cannot be undone without a trip to the dentist for a filling.¹³

Gum disease: Gum disease can lead to tooth loss. If your gums bleed easily, are tender or swollen, or have pulled away from your teeth, or if you have persistent bad breath, changes in the way your teeth fit, or permanent teeth that are loose, these are warning signs of gum disease. Maintaining a good oral hygiene routine could be one way to help you avoid gum disease. But if you do notice warning signs, see your dentist right away.¹⁴

Bad breath: Bad breath is another common oral health complaint, but having bad breath doesn’t always mean a deeper problem. If you eat garlic or drink coffee, you might get bad breath that will go away with a good brush and floss — ditto for morning breath or other bad breath moments caused by the bacteria that naturally live in your mouth. However, if you have persistent bad breath that you suspect may have a deeper cause, visit your dentist. Bad breath can be caused by more serious medical conditions like gum disease, mouth infections, diabetes, liver disease, and more.¹⁵

Oral hygiene and you

Habits as simple as regular brushing, flossing, fluoride use and dentist visits make up an effective oral hygiene routine. Extra steps like using a mouthwash can also help, and lifestyle changes like a healthy diet and not smoking can also help you prevent common oral health concerns like tartar buildup, cavities, and gum disease.

Remember that your routine doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive: Using tools you can buy at your local drugstore and keeping regular dentist visits make for a great oral hygiene routine and a happy, healthy mouth.