Our great ancestors here in Indonesia used to say, that it is a million times better to get a heartache than to have a toothache.

There’s so much wisdom in the sentence, we have to admit. If you ask us, a recurring toothache, especially when you are a few thousand feet above the sea level, makes Dante’s Inferno sounds like child’s play. The pain will make your ears feel like they’re exploding (just don’t say it out loud to make sure they don’t misheard you and think that you’re a safety hazard in the flight), and even the manliest of men will sob like a little girl whose pet fish just died.

The fear of experiencing this inhuman pain is, most probably, the sole reason our parents introduced us to the wonderful world of dental health and oral hygiene, from a very early stage of our life. After so many months of having our mouth cleaned for us, we finally hit that mark where our parents can finally start teaching us how to brush our own teeth by use of nursery rhymes, night-time routine, and scary stories involving monsters and children who don’t brush before they sleep. Please tell us we’re not the only ones who were terrified with under-the-bed monsters who love to eat children that don’t brush their teeth before going to sleep.

Well, as we grow older, we learn that monsters are real; especially in this topic. The monsters that give us dental nightmares lurk in the dark areas behind the molars, sleeping snugly between the teeth, waiting for the perfect time to wake up and start wreaking havoc; sometimes when you’re in a 14 hours flight going to the other side of the world. To beat these tiny devils, though, you actually just need to establish (and stick to) the perfect routine for your dental health. Here are seven simple things that you can do regularly to keep the monsters at bay:

1. Brush your teeth twice every day in the morning and just before bed. This one is very basic that even pre-schoolers remember, thanks to nursery rhymes and soft-fuzzy-activity books you mothers got for them. Yes, the simplest thing that you can do to keep your mouth healthy is by brushing your teeth twice a day. Spend an equal time of 30 seconds on each quadrants and try to follow the steps your dentist taught you. The best time to brush your teeth is, understandably, after meals, so that all those filthy food debris can go down the drain. However, many of us brush our teeth in the morning before breakfast. That’s fine, too, just not as effective. Just make sure to never forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed since your failure of doing so will form a bacterial plagues during the time you go to sleep.
2. Use a toothpaste that has fluoride in its ingredients. Adding this mineral to a toothpaste is a way to get lost minerals due to the acid from sugar and bacterial plague back to our teeth. Without this re-mineralization process, our teeth will be shaky and ca fall off more easily. When we brush our teeth with a toothpaste that contains fluoride, it will be absorbed by the teeth. In turn, the mineral will then start to fight off the bacterial plague and get rid of the corrosive acid it produces.
3. Rinse your mouth with a therapeutic mouthwash. Or any other kind of mouthwash of your choice, really, it doesn’t matter. When you use mouthwash to rinse your mouth after you brush your teeth, not only you’re killing the remaining bacteria, but also making sure that you’re not going to have a bad breath… at least until you eat again. Now that’s a pretty good way to charm people around you, don’t you think? Now, do you know that there are actually different kinds of mouthwash to serve different dental problems? You can choose whether you want to whiten your teeth, get a fresher breath, prevent gingivitis or gum disease, or soothe a dry mouth. There are even specially formulated mouthwashes for children with less minty sensation and fun fruity flavours.
4. Clean your tongue every time you brush your teeth. If you have been skipping this part for as long as you live, then it’s definitely time for you to start implementing this into your dental care routine. Some fancier toothbrushes have a rubbery part on the back side of the brush that is designed to clean the tongue; but honestly? We can just use the brush altogether, no big deal. When you brush your tongue, you get rid of food residue that might still stick to your tongue, eve after a mouthwash rinse. Clean your tongue and prepare your palate for an amazing culinary experience!
5. Floss your teeth once a day. For those tiny spaces between your teeth, you’ll need a dental floss to reach deep into places your trusty toothbrush failed to. Smallest food waste that stuck between two teeth can surprisingly put you in an extremely uncomfortable situation; moreover if it happens to you during a date. Floss your teeth before every date is a legitimate dating advice that applies to anyone, anywhere. Floss your teeth and get that squeaky clean feeling that will put you in an unexpected good mood. If you feel like you want to do more for mother Earth and want to use a more sustainable version, there is a company that makes one made of corn starch and coated with Candelila wax; or another one that makes it with Mulberry silk. These two alternatives to the regular dental floss are delivered in a small glass container that you only need to get on your first purchase, and simply refill it when you finish. Sounds great, huh?
6. Get your daily dose of Calcium. We all know that Calcium work wonders for our bone and dental health. Unfortunately, this is something that our body can’t produce by itself, so we need to get it from other sources. When we were little, our mother would give us food that are high in Calcium like milk, cheese, yoghurt and other dairy products. However, not everyone knows that we can also find Calcium in kale and broccoli, as well as salmon, sardines, soya drinks, cereals, and even fresh fruit juices. Just how important is Calcium for our dental health? Well, since 99% of our Calcium intake are stored in our bones and teeth, we think it’s safe to say that it mainly forms our teeth. As we grow older, the Calcium in our body will slowly decrease and our bones and teeth become more and more fragile. When this happen, do help your body by drinking supplemental milk that is high in Calcium.
7. Change your toothbrush regularly. Don’t wait until those brushes change shape; just get a new one regularly. If you’re more into eco-friendly products, there are now many options for a more sustainable toothbrushes made from bamboo, recycled plastic, corn, and wheat straw. Other than keeping the bathroom looking good, regularly changing your toothbrush is great for your dental health because dull brushes will not be able to clean properly, and will therefore leave some particles on your teeth. This will eventually cause your teeth to carries, or worse, make a hole in your teeth. If you have never experienced that, believe us, you don’t want to. If you haven’t already know. The things that you should look for in a good toothbrush are soft bristles, a comfortable fit that feels right in your mouth (and hands!) that can reach all your teeth, and, if you’re into it, look for an electric one because the power these toothbrushes have will definitely make a difference in their performances.

Other than those 7 routines you need to start doing for a (much) better dental health, there are of course additional steps that you can do for a more advanced oral hygiene like visiting a dentist regularly (preferably once in every six months) for cleaning and check-up. To be honest, the feeling you get after a scaling at the dentist’s office is one of the best feeling in the world. By doing a regular visit to the dentist, you will be more aware of any early discomfort caused by plague build-ups or a hole in your teeth. The last thing that you can do to take care of your dental health is by staying away from smoking as the tar and nicotine in cigarettes will turn your teeth yellow and your lips black.

So there they are, 7 simple routines to do for a good dental health. If you happen to be on a holiday in this beautiful little island and have a dental emergency, just come to our clinics and get the best service as testified by our satisfied customers; our team of dentists will be more than happy to give you a great dental appointment experience. See you when we see you!