Brushing your teeth isn’t the only important way that you can protect your mouth. Mouthwash and flossing should also be crucial parts of your daily routine to keep your teeth, gums and mouth as healthy as possible. While brushing your teeth gets rid of build-up on the surface of your teeth, there are always bits of food or sugar from a drink that remains in between teeth or in the very back of your mouth. These are the type of situations that cause cavities as well as more serious dental issues.

If you aren’t already flossing, this should also be added to your daily dental routine. Brushing your teeth will clear your teeth of food, particles and bacteria. However, a toothbrush has limited reach and power leaving bits and pieces of food and bacteria in between teeth. No matter how hard you brush, sometimes it just isn’t enough. Flossing allows you to get in between each individual tooth cleaning in the tight gaps. When you floss in addition to brushing your teeth you can rid your mouth of unwanted food, tartar and bacteria. For the most complete cleaning though, you should also make mouthwash a priority.

Using a mouthwash each and every day will ensure that your whole mouth is getting the detailed-attention it needs. When you only brush your teeth, you are cleaning about 25% of your mouth. However, because of the liquidity of mouthwash, nearly 100% of the mouth comes in contact with the wash. This means that your entire mouth, all your teeth and all of your gums can be rid of bacteria just by properly using mouthwash daily. In addition, using mouthwash can eliminate minor problems like bad breath as well as major problems like gum disease.

Brushing your teeth will clean of the surfaces while flossing gets a more in-depth cleaning between teeth and gums. On top of that, using a mouthwash will eliminate any remaining pieces of bacteria, food or particles that could do you and your teeth harm. Combining all three of these practices will help you properly take care of your teeth and avoid costly and painful dental procedures. If you do all three of these steps each day, they will soon become habit and you will soon get to experience a truly clean and cared for mouth.