Although most people nowadays have fairly decent oral hygiene, many tend to forget the 8 hours or so of the day when they’re asleep. During those hours bacteria and plaque might be gathering within your mouth and running rampant until you wake up the next morning.
The good news is that there are several steps that you can take to improve your nighttime oral hygiene and they shouldn’t be too hard to incorporate into your daily schedule:
- Brush before going to sleep (or at least after dinner)
By brushing your teeth at night before you go to sleep or at very least after dinner you’ll give your mouth a quick clean before you tuck in. That way there will be much less bacteria and bits of food left in there and it will help your nighttime oral hygiene tremendously. - Floss before going to sleep
Just like brushing, flossing once before you go to sleep would be helpful too. As you probably already know flossing is extremely effective when it comes to removing bits of food and plaque that are stuck between your teeth. Generally it is recommended to floss at least once a day and the best time to do so is before you go to sleep. However if you like you can floss more than that – and once in the morning would be great too. - Keep an eye out for teeth grinding
Many people are unaware that they have a habit of grinding their teeth while they sleep. It can be hard to pick up, but if you start to have issues such as sensitive teeth, worn enamels or even small wounds in your inner cheeks then that could be the culprit. The easiest way around it is to visit a dentist and ask them to make you a mouth guard that you can wear when you sleep.
With these three steps you should be covered on most fronts when it comes to nighttime oral hygiene. Of course there are other areas that you should look into as well, such as the toothbrush and toothpaste that you’re using, your brushing technique, and of course the frequency with which you visit the dentist for a regular check-up. All these things have their part to play in making sure that your overall dental health is top notch.
For anyone looking at a Sheffield dentist it would be a good idea to visit one80 Dental, 180 Baslow Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S17 4DS. They will be able to provide you with private dental care that covers numerous different specializations, and if you’re worried about your night time dental hygiene they should definitely be able to help on that front too.
