Spit and Go

I just had a cavity filled last week…. it’s the third cavity I’ve had in as many years. I’ve had a lot cavities throughout my lifetime but three in three years is a bit much even for me so my dentist recommended a high-fluoride, prescription-only toothpaste. Prescription-only toothpaste? Didn’t know such a thing existed.

As it turns out, there are several things I didn’t know about dental hygiene. Maybe that’s why I have so many cavities. For instance, when Mrs. Vhost called the dentist office to get clarification on how to use the prescription toothpaste (yes we had to ask), we “learned” that you should not rinse after brushing your teeth. This was news to us. Was this some kind of new modernized care for teeth? How many years had this knowledge escaped us?

To find out more we immediately turned to a trusted source known as the Internet. I’m sure the folks at Google were wondering why there was a sudden surge in searches for “teeth brushing.” As it turns out, every expert on the ‘Net recommends rinsing after brushing. This was not what we’d been instructed so my confusion persisted.

To clear up the mess I turned to a source even more reliable than the Internet…. family. I have a cousin who is a dental hygienist. She would know! My cousin said she’d never heard of such a thing as not rinsing after brushing (thanks TP!).

That was good news… that meant I could rinse after brushing, at least with regular toothpaste. And I also learned some things….. For instance, did you know:
* You should brush for your teeth for 2 full minutes.
* For best results, tilt your brush at a 45 degree angle to the gumline.
* You should brush your tongue when brushing your teeth.
* You can’t rinse when using high-fluoride toothpaste (bummer). Just spit and go.