Your ideal daily dental routine for good oral hygiene

When it comes to teeth care, it’s easy to get confused. There are a million products on the market that promise to make your smile brighter and your mouth cleaner, but it can be hard to know which ones to use and when to use them.

Good oral hygiene starts with a daily dental routine that’s simple, effective and easy to stick to. To help you establish your ultimate teeth care routine, we’ve broken down the must-do steps for cleaner, whiter teeth and better oral health.

Step one: Brush those teeth

You’re probably already doing this one (at least we hope so!) but it bears repeating due to its high importance. Brushing your teeth twice per day is the first step to take in getting a clean mouth. When you don’t brush your teeth, you’re leaving them vulnerable to plaque build up, which can quickly develop into tooth decay and gum disease – no thanks! Try to brush all surfaces of your teeth for at least two minutes, once in the morning and once at night.

Step two: Get flossing

It’s the step we all want to skip, but flossing is vital in cultivating good oral hygiene. Flossing allows you to get into all the nooks and crannies of your teeth that may not have been reached during your brushing to remove any extra plaque. Aim to floss at least once per day to avoid any stray plaque irritating your gums.

Step three: Rinse it out with a powerful mouthwash

Mouthwash is about more than just preventing tooth decay. In fact, there are now mouthwash formulas that can enhance your daily dental routine by working to help keep your teeth whiter for longer.

LISTERINE® Bright White helps to lift and prevent stains on your teeth, keeping them whiter for longer. The product also gives you two times more whitening than brushing alone after two weeks, so it’s the perfect everyday whitening solution to complement your daily dental routine and help you showcase the power of your smile.

Step four: Clean that tongue

Good oral hygiene is never complete without giving your tongue a little TLC. The bacteria that catches on your tongue throughout the day can cause bad breath, so make sure you’re giving it a once-over at least once per day.

To clean your tongue, you can use your toothbrush to gently scrub in circular motions on the surface of the tongue. You can also use dental floss to act as a tongue scraper, moving it across the tongue to remove the bacteria. Otherwise, a traditional tongue scraper will also do the trick.

In the quest for good oral hygiene, our members put the LISTERINE® Bright White to the test. Here’s what they thought:

“The Listerine Bright White is an amazing product. I really like the smell and taste of the product, it’s a great product if you have to run out quickly – you just swish around the Listerine, spit it out and yay, fresh breath! This product is great for anyone whether you need extra minty-ness in the morning.” – bh member Maddii

“I’ve been using the product twice a day for the past couple of weeks and my teeth do seem to look a bit brighter. It's similar to other mouthwashes – swish around in your mouth after brushing. It is effective in terms of a mouthwash, yet doesn't feel too strong like some others I have tried. It definitely leaves my mouth feeling fresh and clean.” – bh member Kate396

“In all honestly, I'm not a huge fan of mouthwashes. I don't enjoy mint all that much, and find that brushing and flossing is enough for me, but when I realised this has the inclusion of lemon & salt flavour, I was a whole lot more interested! It has a light taste but the lemon is definitely there. After using this twice a day for two weeks, I can say that my mouth feels fresher and cleaner with each use. Also, I can honestly say I think I'm seeing a difference in the colour of my teeth – they're starting to look whiter.” – bh member Beccaduncan23

“I’ve used Listerine as a mouthwash before but this product has some extras. It claims to brighten the teeth, lifting and protecting against further stains and has added fluoride. The instructions are to rinse in the mouth for thirty seconds after brushing, twice a day. Following these instructions made my mouth feel a lot fresher. After a week I noticed that my teeth were brighter and my mouth felt cleaner. It claims that after two weeks the teeth will be two times brighter and it does brighten the teeth. There is a lemony flavour, which is quite pleasant. I can recommend this product, especially to people who have problems keeping their teeth as white and bright as possible.” – bh member emagic

Which steps do you follow as part of your daily dental routine?