A key factor for forming healthy habits is the convenience factor. Dental patients should be prepared with some simple methods for establishing a daily regimen for oral hygiene, such as carrying a small, zippered pouch with toothpaste and a toothbrush. Any problems from trying to brush teeth should be solved with an easy method that does interfere with an activity. If there are fewer barriers, then patients will be more motivated to use dental floss, brush teeth and to use mouthwash.
Convenient Methods for Daily Oral Hygiene
Small pouches of dental supplies, such as small bottles of mouthwash and small packs of dental picks with floss, can be carried inside purses, briefcases and backpacks. A small pouch of dental supplies could be stored inside the glove compartment in a car or inside a locked desk drawer at an office. The essential factor is the convenience of having the supplies nearby when a patient would want to brush his or her teeth.
Supplies for Oral Hygiene
Most patients do regularly brush his or her teeth while at home, such as in the morning, after each meal and at night, but unfortunately encounter problems while away from home. Patients can use small, plastic travel bottles and small, plastic, snap-open travel cases to put some dental supplies inside a zippered pouch. The list of supplies should include toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss, interdental brushes, mint-flavored mouthwash, plaque-removing mouthwash, teeth-whitening mouthwash and fluoride mouthwash. The interdental brushes are tiny brushes that can be used to brush between adjacent teeth.
Methods for Brushing Teeth at Any Place
With some dental supplies, a patient could brush his or her teeth at a restaurant, in a car or on a hike. If there is not a sink nearby, the patient could spit into a travel cup, plastic bottle or a ziplock, plastic sandwich bag while brushing his or her teeth. If a patient develops some plans for overcoming the obstacles that are blocking his or her daily regimen for proper oral hygiene, then there would be fewer problems to interfere with his or her health.
Diet Factors for Oral Hygiene
The types of foods for a diet could cause problems or could help to cleanse the mouth, such as yellow mustard or other foods that contain vinegar. Foods that are sweet or sticky could cling to teeth and could cause cavities. High-acid foods can cause damage to tooth enamel, such as soft drinks or lemon, grapefruit or pineapple juice. If a patient fasts from eating food every other day or every other weekend, then there would be fewer problems from food in his or her mouth. There is some information about the five stages of intermittent fasting here.
Techniques for Forming Healthy Habits for Oral Hygiene
Regardless of the amount of food in a diet, such as when fasting, a patient should still continue to brush his or her teeth at least twice each day and especially after drinking a sweet beverage. With a plan for a daily regimen for oral hygiene, there would be fewer problems from cavities, gum disease and from bad breath. The convenience factor is especially important because a patient could try to avoid a difficult task, such as brushing his or her teeth in a car after a meal in an upscale restaurant.