Tips for Following Your Dentist’s At-Home Treatment Plans

Mouthguards, mouthwash, numbing gel, floss, water flossers, hydration, brushing techniques: there are endless recommendations that a dentist can make that will help you improve your oral health. Here, we’ll look at how you can stay on top of the (sometimes relentless) day-to-day care so you can enjoy a cleaner, fresher mouth.

Identify the Why

The most common advice from a dentist in Indianapolis, IN is to brush at least twice a day and floss at least once per day. Yet even that is a task that many can’t keep up with. If you struggle, it helps to figure out what the problem is before you try to tackle it.

Instead of vague excuses, like general exhaustion, you might get a nugget of insight that you can work to change. For example, maybe you find it too hard to reach the back teeth while you floss, which may just mean that you need to relax your mouth to allow for more reach.

Plan Ahead

Despite this oft-repeated bit of advice, it’s also one of the easiest to ignore. Sometimes, it can be as simple as getting your supplies ready or writing down the steps on the mirror and checking them off every night. So, you might set out the water flosser before you brush, so you can just grab it right after you’re done. Or you might clean your mouthguard in the morning, so you don’t have to worry about it when you settle in.

At Indiana Emergency Dental, we know how busy schedules can get (it’s just one reason we offer emergency dental care in Indianapolis). But we also know that the closer you stick to your dentist’s recommendations, the less likely you are to need major dental work down the line.