Post by @elduvelle@neuromatch.social

2026-06-23 17:33 UTC

Hi all, since I've just discovered all this information about how to properly take care of one's teeth (had to recently go to dentist, for some reason we are not really taught this in France) I thought I would share the knowledge, if you know better, please correct me! What should you do to take care of your teeth at any age: Do not drink or eat sweet things. Sugar feeds the bad bacteria which then create cavities.If you really have to consume things with sugar then rince your mouth with water afterwards so the sugar doesn't linger.Brush your teeth at least twice a day. Brushing (& flossing, see later) helps get rid of "plaque" which is a film created by the bad bacteria+ food which if left to its own will turn into tartar after 20h (?) or so. you need to brush all surfaces of the teeth and a little bit towards the gum there is no point in brushing too stronglyit is better to use a "soft" brushbrushing technique is very important (and the proper technique is not at all what I was trained to do) - feel free to link a good video if you known oneit's probably easier to follow the right technique with an electric toothbrushbrushing your teeth should be the last thing that you do with your mouth before you go to bed, andit is better not to rince your mouth after brushing but to just spit the toothpaste so that remaining toothpaste and fluoride stays around because it helps regenerate your enamel?!As for the morning, there doesn't seem to be a big difference between brushing before vs after breakfast, however, wait at least 30 min between eating and brushing, because eating creates acids which combined with brushing can erode your enamelbrushing before breakfast helps remove the bacteria and plaque that has accumulated during the night so even if you have some bits of food after eating it has no bacteria to play with it (but, better to rince with water after breakfast anyway)you probably want to brush the tongue too because bacteria can accumulate there (?)floss is a thing! floss is actually useful to remove plaque & food debris between teeth and close to the gum. so you should do it at least once a day! (you can use interdental brushes instead, I don't think one is preferred over the other?)as for brushing, flossing is important, please link a good video in answer if you have onemouthwash? Use only if prescribed. The dentists I've talked to say that flossing is better. [Check one of the answers for more info on it (🙏)]Bleeding gums means you have some inflammation. If you floss regularly, your gums will eventually stop bleeding. [contributed from answers] 🙏If you have gum issues, a water pick is useful. [contributed from answers]"deep pockets" : they let bacteria attack your jawbone, and can cause tooth loss. Dentist will detect them and might suggest deep clean. do it and then you can avoid them with floss and water pick [contributed from answers]Bruxing / grinding your teeth? use a guard! [more info in answers] ... anything else? Please don't hesitate to discuss or add anything in comment. I'm somehow just learning about this all.. #Dentist #DentistTips #DentalTips #ToothHealth

Replies (7)

@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social 2026-06-23 17:37

@elduvelle@neuromatch.social Wow. I'm sorry you are only learning this now. Bleeding gums means you have some inflammation. If you floss regularly, your gums will eventually stop bleeding (ask me how I know this). If you have gum issues, a water pick is useful. After I started flossing every fricking night with good technique, I was still having gum issues. The water pick helped a lot.

Open ##5410802
@meganL@mas.to 2026-06-23 18:10

@elduvelle@neuromatch.social If you've been prescribed a night guard because of bruxing (grinding your teeth), WEAR IT. Not only does it help prevent headaches, but bruxing can cause gum recession and that can cause sensitivity, pain, tooth loss and deeper infection problems. https://powayperio.com/blog/bruxism-gum-recession/

Open ##5410814
@Rhyothemis@zeroes.ca 2026-06-23 18:12

@elduvelle@neuromatch.social I would not say that mouthwash is okay; I would only use it if prescribed. Frequent use of mouthwash increases risk of hypertension, though it does not appear to increase cardiovascular disease mortality. On the other hand, good oral hygiene decreases risk of death from CVD. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31709856/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9897600/

Open ##5410816
@dianea@lgbtqia.space 2026-06-23 21:05

@elduvelle@neuromatch.social My dentist showed me the proper brushing technique as brushing away from the gums to pull stuff out, not pack it in. I found that switching to a no added sugars, no highly processed foods, no preservatives diet has made my dental hygienists job very easy and only a few minutes of cleaning as there is almost no plaque at all. Our western diets are a health horror. Xylitol chewing gum is amazing as the aggressive harmful bacteria choke on that sugar and die as they have no proteins to metabolize it.

Open ##5410833
@Crystal_Fish_Caves@mstdn.party 2026-06-23 22:02

@elduvelle@neuromatch.social A dentist said something to me a very long time ago that I did not understand at the time. I got annual cleanings until I left home. I got better after needing a quadrant scaling then let it go again. Then a dentist refused to do a cleaning due to my now advanced Gum Disease!? He said, "your teeth are fine you need a gum specialist" I heard 'teeth fine' blah blah who needs gums? years later teeth falling out / rest had to be pulled Everyone should read your post. Dentures SUCK ASS

Open ##5410834
@MCDuncanLab@mstdn.social 2026-06-24 03:03

@elduvelle@neuromatch.social Fluoride. Your toothpaste should have fluoride. Fluoride is really important for keeping your teeth healthy. It binds to tooth enamel to keep it strong. Every time a city removes fluoride from its water there’s a huge increase in tooth decay so severe that the patient needs anesthesia during treatment. https://www.ada.org/resources/community-initiatives/fluoride-in-water/fluoridation-faqs

Open ##5410836
@usernomnomnom@mastodon.social 2026-06-24 07:49

@elduvelle@neuromatch.social The thing I don't understand is the soft brush part. If I use a soft brush, my teeth still feel fuzzy no matter how long I brush. I want to add a thing about flossing: don't just go in one direction, try to get at every single angle you can! And if you're a canker sore sufferer, get a toothpaste without sodium lauryl sulfate. It really helped me!

Open ##5410838