Resources
Caring for your smilebetween visits
Most of what keeps a smile healthy happens at home. These are the things we find ourselves explaining most often — worth having in one place.
Everyday care
- Brush twice a day for two minutes with a soft-bristled brush and fluoride toothpaste.
- Clean between your teeth daily — floss, picks or a water flosser, whichever you will actually use.
- Replace your brush, or brush head, every three months.
Prevention first
- Early decay can often be remineralized rather than drilled — which is why we would rather see it early.
- Sealants and fluoride are small, inexpensive steps that prevent much larger ones.
- Grinding at night wears enamel quickly. A custom night guard protects it.
Gum health
- Gums that bleed when you brush are inflamed, not "just sensitive" — mention it to us.
- Gum disease is usually painless until it is advanced, which is what makes checkups matter.
- Healthy gums are the foundation of a healthy smile, so we treat them as seriously as teeth.
After your treatment
- After a filling, wait until any numbness fully wears off before eating so you do not bite your cheek.
- Mild sensitivity to cold for a few days after treatment is normal; sharp or lasting pain is not — call us.
- After a deep cleaning, warm salt-water rinses help your gums settle.
When to call us right away
- Knocked-out tooth — keep it moist, handle it by the crown not the root, and call us immediately.
- Cracked or broken tooth — rinse with warm water, use a cold compress, and call us.
- Toothache that keeps you up at night — do not wait it out, call us.
- Swelling in your face or jaw — call us right away; if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, go to the emergency room.
What we recommend
People ask us all the time which brush or floss to buy. These are the ones Dr. O recommends in the chair, grouped by what they’re for. The links go to Amazon so you can see the exact product.
Nothing here is sponsored, and we don’t earn anything if you buy. Any product on this page is a suggestion, not a substitute for the advice we give you in person.
Brushing
What you use twice a day. A soft brush and a fluoride paste do most of the work.
Electric toothbrushes
Oral-B iO Series 5 (opens in a new tab)The light turns red when you press too hard — the habit most people need help breaking.
Philips Sonicare 6500 (opens in a new tab)A sonic alternative if the Oral-B feels too buzzy. Has a pressure sensor as well.
Ultra-soft toothbrushes
GUM Sensitive Clean (opens in a new tab)Extra-soft bristles for gums that have receded, so you aren’t scrubbing exposed root.
Colgate Sensitive Expert (opens in a new tab)A flexible neck that eases the pressure near the gumline.
Baking-soda toothpaste
Arm & Hammer PeroxiCare (opens in a new tab)A baking-soda paste aimed at gum health.
Arm & Hammer Sensitive Teeth & Gums (opens in a new tab)The same baking-soda base, formulated for sensitive teeth and gums.
Sensitive toothpaste
Colgate Sensitive Whitening (opens in a new tab)For teeth that twinge with cold. Give it two weeks before deciding whether it works.
Sensodyne Extra Whitening (opens in a new tab)A long-standing option for sensitivity. It needs a couple of weeks to build up.
High-fluoride toothpaste
3M Clinpro Tooth Crème (opens in a new tab)More fluoride, for when your cavity risk is up. Use it as your everyday paste.
Between your teeth
A brush cannot reach the sides of your teeth. Whichever of these you will actually use is the right one.
Easy-to-use floss
DenTek Kids flossers (opens in a new tab)Kid-sized picks in a fruit flavour, for younger children.
Gfloss hands-free flossers (opens in a new tab)Usable one-handed, if reaching the back teeth is a struggle.
Plackers Micro Mint picks (opens in a new tab)Sturdy picks for tight contacts. Easy to keep in a bag or a drawer.
T.Smile NoFuss flosser (opens in a new tab)A reusable handle with refill heads, if you’d rather not throw picks away.
Floss picks for braces
Plackers OrthoPick (opens in a new tab)Shaped to slip under a braces wire, so you aren’t threading every tooth.
Platypus orthodontic flossers (opens in a new tab)Thin enough to slide under the arch wire — quick enough that you keep it up.
Floss threaders
DenTek floss threaders (opens in a new tab)Loops that carry floss under a bridge, retainer or wire.
GUM EEZ-Thru threaders (opens in a new tab)A stiffer loop, which some people find easier to guide through.
Oral-B Glide threader floss (opens in a new tab)Threaders paired with Glide, which slips through tight spots more easily.
Oral-B Super Floss (opens in a new tab)Stiff end, spongy middle — made for bridges, braces and wider gaps.
Brushes for between teeth
DenTek slim interdental brushes (opens in a new tab)Tiny brushes for the gaps floss struggles with. The slim size fits tighter spaces.
GUM Soft-Picks Comfort Flex (opens in a new tab)Soft rubber picks, gentler than a brush and easy to carry.
GUM Proxabrush Go-Betweens (opens in a new tab)Bristle brushes for wider spaces and around bridgework.
Water flossers
Waterpik Cordless Pulse 3100 (opens in a new tab)Useful with bridges, implants or braces, or if floss has never stuck.
ShowerFloss (opens in a new tab)Attaches to your shower head, if a countertop unit is more than you want.
For specific problems
For a higher cavity risk, a dry mouth, braces or dentures.
Anti-cavity mouthwash
ACT Restoring rinse (opens in a new tab)An alcohol-free fluoride rinse. Use it apart from brushing, not straight after.
Listerine Total Care (alcohol-free) (opens in a new tab)Fluoride, without the sting. Good if cavities keep coming back.
Listerine Total Care Kids (opens in a new tab)A children’s fluoride rinse — check the label for the right age.
Spry Kids xylitol rinse (opens in a new tab)Fluoride-free and xylitol-sweetened, so it’s safe if a little gets swallowed.
Dry mouth
ACT Dry Mouth gum (opens in a new tab)Chewing gets saliva going, which is what a dry mouth is short of.
Allday Dry Mouth spray (opens in a new tab)A quick spray you can use through the day.
Allday Dry Mouth gel (opens in a new tab)Longer-lasting than the spray, and useful overnight when your mouth gets driest.
SALIVEA relief gel (opens in a new tab)A saliva substitute, for dryness that doesn’t let up.
Sugar-free gum
Ice Breakers Ice Cubes (opens in a new tab)Sugar-free, for after meals when you can’t brush.
Trident sugar-free gum (opens in a new tab)Another option with xylitol.
Denture adhesive powder
Fixodent Extra Hold powder (opens in a new tab)An adhesive powder for a firmer hold with a full or partial denture.
Super Poligrip Extra Strength (opens in a new tab)The same job, a different brand.
Povidone-iodine drops
10% povidone-iodineApply 1–2 drops to your toothbrush daily. We sell it at the office — just ask at your next visit. If you would rather buy your own, check with us first so you get the right strength.
Still have a question?
We would rather you ask than wonder. Call us, book a visit, or bring it up next time you are in — no question is too small.
