What are your dental hygiene tips and hacks

Get an electric toothbrush. Don't push hard, just slowly move it and hold it gently against your teeth / gums in each spot.

If you hate flossing like I do, a waterpik is helpful.

Brush twice a day.

Don't rinse after brushing like you said.

Waterpik is not a replacement for flossing, fyi
- No but it's better than nothing.
Waterpik is nifty, but I found a solution that works well in conjunction with it, but without the frustration of flossing . Gum Proxabrush are little brushes that go between your teeth to scrub out the gunk. My hygienist was saying they work better than floss. I've really liked them.
- My teeth are so tight I can sometimes barely get floss down between them. A brush would have no chance of cleaning the whole sides of the teeth.
Doesn't the WaterPik sort of negate the don't rinse thing, or are you saying less is more in terms of water getting in the way of remineralization and you net benefit from using that for flossing. I definitely prefer it over physical floss

Use flosser first, THEN brush without rinsing. Got it 😁
- You can do the WaterPik before brushing and then don’t rinse after brushing.

All the advances in toothcare seems to be around fancier electric brushes or other gadgets, but regardless we've never been able to move away from 'brush for 2 minutes'. I want some fancy device I just bite down on and it zaps my whole mouth clean in 5 seconds.

a UV flashbang pill? multi-laser drone?? Never ask an AI for dental products again?
- Gently, cleaning zaps.
  
  Sign me up!
Just pull the transformer out of your microwave, aim it at your face, and open your mouth

I spoke with a dental hygienist in a hot tub once (that’s how you know this information is solid). She did say to avoid rinsing or mouthwash after brushing with fluoride toothpaste. She also wasn’t a huge fan of alcohol mouthwash in general as it kills both good and bad bacteria. Too bad because I really do enjoy the “burn” feeling when I use it.

I've heard both, but I can't not rinse after brushing. Any taste of actual toothpaste in my mouth is unsettling to me.
- Just let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then reward yourself by washing it down with a cup of fresh orange juice.
- I got a sensodyne toothpaste recently that doesn’t have that overwhelming toothpaste taste. It’s the nourish stuff and its flavor is “natural mint and citrus oil”, and it’s mostly not the mint that I taste. It was super weird for a few days, but I strongly prefer it over toothpaste flavored toothpaste.
  
  Maybe something like that would work better for you, as well.
- I was told by my dental hygienist that although you shouldn’t rinse after brushing, you can spit as many times as you want. Your saliva isn’t going to be able to totally rinse off the fluoride the way water will. IME it usually only takes a few extra spits to get from overwhelmingly minty to present but bearable.
- You get used to it after a while. The taste of the toothpaste subsides pretty quickly as well, so it's not like an extended period of suffering.

Electric toothbrush. The hygenist often says she can tell I tell I take care of my teeth, but really, I usually only brush and floss once a day.

Is there a concern about using it too soon after eating and it wearing away enamel or the teeth mechanically? Particularly acidic stuff which i tend to limit but that notion's been a bit of a procedural lodestar for me when it comes to, like, which kind of + toothbrush I use
- You can get electric tooth brushes that will turn a red alert light on if you push too hard. Wearing down your teeth by an electric toothbrush is not more of a concern than using a manual one.
- I thought I heard something about that but I don't really know. The main thing with electric brushes is that you should brush gently and slowly. Let the brush do most of the work.
- I used an e-brush for all my life and only got cavities from lack of brushing and being negligent.
  
  But you shouldn't brush right after eating.
  Eat something, wait 30min, then brush.
  That's how I do it for breakfast.

Rinsing with salt water seems to work well for me. I have no idea what the science says about it though. But there is some talk in new treatments about ionizing stimulating healing, and I wouldn't be surprised if salt water does a bit of that too.?
I also wouldn't be surprised if it helps remineralize. Very subjectively it feels like it does a little, but it's easy to fool oneself with wishful thinking. Preferably have a dentist monitor results.

My hygienist recommended that I use salt water instead of mouthwash, so I’d think you’re probably barking up the right tree
I am allergic to some types of mouthwash so I was told to use salt water but not as often as you'd use regular mouthwash (only every few days) because it's rougher on your teeth or some such, I can't remember the reasoning.

Waterpik, both between the teeth and then the low power gum one, followed by rinsing with Listerine complete, takes such good care of my gingivitis that I don't even need to get cleanings for plaque anymore. I might scrape some off every 6 months or a year if even. I used to get migraines from it daily, then needed cleaning every 6 months. Total game changer

have flossers you like in your EDC bag, use them whenever you have time. GUM flossers are my favorite
avoid sugar in your diet, but if you can't - brush after eating sugar
avoid brushing teeth / flossing immediately before and after sex. The cleaning process can cause micro abrasians in your gums.
get a nice tongue scraper and make it part of your daily routine, for better breath.

How do my gums know if I'm having sex?
- If you engage in any oral fluid exchange (kissing, licking, oral sex) then there will be small microscopic souvenirs floating around in your mouth for some time. Your body, and your skin, have natural defenses, so this isn't a huge deal usually.
  
  If you have cuts in your skin, or direct pathways from the outside to the inside, then any of your souvenirs could get directly introduced into your bloodstream, reducing your natural immunity defenses. Unnecessarily.
  
  Brushing your teeth, and flossing your teeth, can cause abrasions and bleeding, even microscopic un-noticeable bleeding, which is enough for a pathogen to transverse the blood barrier.
  
  So to be safe, don't brush your teeth, don't floss your teeth, immediately before or after sex
Tongue scraper is fantastic. Got a cheap metal one online for less than $5, works great and is easy to clean.
I've generally read that you should avoid brushing for about 30-60 minutes after eating anything, since the acidity of your mouth is elevated and that softens your teeth more than normal.

cmv if you have different data I guess

Waterpik Sonic Fusion. I brush before bed, and wake up feeling almost "from the dentist" clean. Also the whole thing has timers so I don't have to worry about that.

My dental hygienist told me not to rinse. "You're paying for the fluoride, why wash it away?" Makes sense. The dentist told me not to use mouthwash, because it upsets the mouth's natural pH.

My biggest find lately is silicon toothpick thingies - interdental brushes. They get to crevices floss can't reach.

I wish there was like a netting thing that you wedged in before eating and then after just removed along with all the plaque
- I guess now we know why it doesn't exist

Try not to accidentally lose your gum shield in a scrum, ruck or maul.

Yep, you shouldn't rinse your mouth, because a proper toothpaste has fluoride, which helps remineralize enamel. Keep in mind it won't restore already decayed enamel though.

Anyway, I am not that sure about electric toothbrushes. At least it's not necessary. On Wednesday when I've been on dental check-up, I asked my dentist whether electric toothbrush would be a good idea. She said "Well... it can be... but you already do pretty good job of cleaning your teeth, so I just recommend you stick to that." I just use a regular toothbrush. However, just the brushing does take me a while. About 10-12 minutes. Yeah.

Well, something that could be a tip is xylitol chewing gum. Most sugar-free gums use xylitol. It is artificial sweetener that's actually good for teeth. It helps remineralize teeth like fluoride, remove plaque build up, and it kills acid-producing bacteria. That is because the bacteria consumes it like regular sugar, but it can't process it, so it just dies. You can also buy xylitol as a powder, because it's, well, a sweetener.

Now to the disadvantages of xylitol: Consuming larger amounts (I think it's just around 25g) can cause diarrhea and cramps. It is also extremely toxic to dogs. Just 100mg/1kg can cause them seizures and 500mg/1kg can cause death. Obviously that's just approximate, so keep your dog away from xylitol.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional in this field.

10-12 minutes????? You're going to get toothbrush abraisions
Electric toothbrushes are excellent for stimulating the gums and keeping them in good order so they don’t recede. The Sonicare are especially good for this reason.
I do the xylitol gum! I think countries in asia regularly markets this as part of good dental hygiene for those reasons you listed. Some of the gum containers advertise, white healthy teeth. Not sure why the US doesn't promote xylitol gum more.
- The USA wants sick and diseased citizens because it’s good for the economy.
On electric toothbrushes, my hygienist basically told me: Imagine how many times you go back and forth manually with your hand when brushing. Now compare that to how many times an electric toothbrush can do the same in the same time frame. So the latter is more effective.

Listerine seems to help remove plaque effectively. Since start using it in the middle of the night when I wake up, not getting regularly cleaned doesn't seem to be a problem anymore. This is coupled with flossing and thorough brushing of course.

Haven't there been talks of a link between mouthwash and throat/mouth cancer?
- There seem to be published scientific paper that some scientists disagreed. There are alcohol-free mouthwashes too.

Tips I have learned over the years. In priority order.

Buy a sonicare toothbrush. They are supposed to be better than even Oral B because of the sound waves they produce. May seem expensive but far cheaper than almost any dental procedure. Studies have shown that electric toothbrushes clean better than manual.
Brush daily.
If you cannot brush one day at least use a flouride mouthwash.
Do not use water on your toothbrush. Something in water hinders the effectiveness of flouride.
Do not rinse your mouth with water after brushing. Leave that toothpaste on your teeth.
Buy a water pik and use it. They clean better than flossing.

Wondering if you have a source on 6. My hygienist said they're better than nothing, but flossing is still better than water piks.
Can confirm 1. At least for me it worked great. They make a lot less noice then the oral-b with the rotating head and the head is a lot smaller. The smaller head enables me to reach all teeth.
Do not use water on your toothbrush. Something in water hinders the effectiveness of flouride.

TIL, thank you.
- No it's a lie, the government actually adds fluoride to tap water.
Yeah you swallow all that sweet fluoride, tin, titanium and other shit in your toothpaste. I've never had a cavity and will continue to rinse
- It's a very small quantity of stuff that your body can easily manage to break down or expel. And you not having a cavity ever is just survivorship bias.

Avoid as much sucrose as possible. It is the #1 cause of tooth decay.

Permanently Deleted

For sensitive gums, my dentist told me to rub the (sensitivity) toothpaste directly on my gums before going to bed. The toothpaste builds up the tissue.

Good deal, 10/10 will try tn

This is for all my floss-averse people out there: put floss plackers in your car. I floss way more this way than in front of my sink. Yes, not optimal dental hygiene but there's just something that just clicks in my head and makes me want to do it when driving around vs literally any other time.

bro.... PLEASE do not do anything but driving while driving!!!!
I'm glad that you've found a routine to help you floss but reading this made my whole body shiver. Do you floss while you're driving? And what do you do with the floss picker when you're done???
- Yep, while driving, stopped, or parked and trapped in the car with whatever task is involved in the commute. I keep a little trash container in the car for normal trash and just chuck the placker in there when done.
I do this

Have you gone down the Novamin rabbit hole?

Its good shit right? I use that sensodyne stuff

I didn't hear this until late on life but ditto, spit after brushing but don't rinse, even with water.