Do you feel like your morning dental hygiene routine and other habits might not be proving entirely helpful to your oral health? When you fall into a way of doing things, it’s often difficult to take an objective look at what’s wrong (and to figure out what you could change to make improvements). For a more streamlined and effective morning experience, we offer some helpful advice.
Stop Rushing Your Brushing
There’s a tendency to rush your dental hygiene routine in the morning, especially if you keep hitting the snooze button and end up short on time. We have some suggestions that may help you:
- First, set a timer (for two minutes) to make sure you’re not absent-mindedly rushing through your brushing.
- Next, change your routine around if you need to. If you floss in the morning too, you might want to begin flossing at night instead to free up an extra couple of minutes for a more leisurely morning routine.
- Consider getting up just two minutes earlier! It makes a difference.
Think About Coffee Factors
If you drink coffee and then immediately brush your teeth, you’re brushing them when they’re vulnerable to damage. The same is true for eating and drinking other selections (especially anything acidic, sugary, or carb-heavy). If possible, set up your morning to ensure that you have enough time to eat and drink your coffee, sip some water, and then brush your teeth about a half hour later. It offers additional benefits to your dental hygiene efforts.
Now, let’s say you like to drink coffee on your way to work or as you’re getting your day started post-brushing. No problem! Just make sure you rinse with water afterward (and remember, a brushing session or some sugarless gum chewing will help, too).
