..Oral health. 😎

Storytime: I’ve always been really anal about oral (insert chuckle here) health for as long as I can remember. About 5 years ago while at Uni, I decided to randomly take a trip to the Dentist for a check up, however while being seen I was told that I would need to have a couple of fillings in. For someone who has always been told that my teeth were “ALLEGEDLY” great, this disturbed me greatly as I have (totally rational) fear of drills going near teeth.
Anyhoo to cut a long story short, the Dentist did not use enough anaesthetic and proceeded to drill into my teeth, hitting the nerves various times. The pain was absolutely indescribable and I vowed to myself that I would never allow my teeth to be touched by any sort of drill or metal instrument ever again. Since then, I have made it a point to always be on top of my oral hygiene game so I may never be probed by a drill again (note: I still have all my wisdom teeth as they grew into my mouth with no issues, hallelujah!) and so I thought it would be cool to share with you the products that I use to keep my mouth in top shape!

Oral B Pro 4000 Electric Toothbrush || £54.99 ||
My life was forever changed when I switched from a manual to an electric toothbrush 5 months ago. Your mouth just feels….so thoroughly cleansed, it’s an incredible feeling! After much deliberation, I decided to buy the Pro 4000 toothbrush as it comes with 4 different brush settings: Daily Clean, Sensitive, Whitening and Gum Care. All you have to do is press the “start” button each time you want to move to a different setting. I normally use either the daily clean or gum setting for a more thorough clean, and it also comes with 4 brush heads to accommodate all your oral needs. It’s such a great brush and I can’t recommend it enough!
Pro Formula Dental Floss by Tesco || £0.75 ||
Truthfully speaking, you can grab floss from anywhere to be honest. I just happened to get this version as I live near a big Tesco. I’m going to be honest and say that flossing was something that was always last on the list of priorities for me as I genuinely would forget during the day, but my Dentist reminded me the other day how important it is never to miss this step. Now I have a roll of floss at home, and a roll at work in my draw for lunch times #BePrepared.
Oral B Pro Expert All Round Protection  Toothpaste||£3.00||
 Again like most flosses, toothpaste is toothpaste and the brand sometimes doesn’t really matter, however I wasn’t aware of the controversy surrounding this particular product until after I had used it 8 or 9 times. Containing ‘Stannous Flouride’ (some sort of super Flouride I guess), it’s supposed to provide better protection for enamel and sensitive teeth which getting rid of all the bacteria. What I didn’t count on however, was the amount of oral tissue that would be ‘burned’ off in the process. To be fair, this toothpaste is EXCELLENT, however the fluoride is so abrasive that it technically ‘burns’ the inner cheek, resulting in pieces of dead tissue just floating about. While it isn’t a toothpaste for everyone, it does do a good job of cleaning the teeth.
Colgate Total Pure Gum Health Mouthwash || £4.49 ||
Not a lot of mouthwashes contain Flouride (remarkably) so I do really like this one as it concentrates more on gum health, which as I said above is extremely important. The wash isn’t abrasive in the slightest, is alcohol free and protects against gum disease/bleeding gums.
Things to note:

• ALWAYS buy alcohol free mouthwash. Mouthwash that contains alcohol damages tooth enamel and oral tissue in the long run.
• If you are black or asian and the colour of your gums are dark purple/black, pay more attention to cleaning your gums as you may not notice if they are inflammed/red.
• Bleeding gums are the first signs of gingivitis, a disease that, if not treated in time, can result in you losing your teeth. Make sure you see a dentist ASAP.
• Floss!
• Try and take the opportunity to visit a dental hygienist at least once a year; trust me, it’ll be one of the best investments you ever make.

I hope you enjoyed my little oral session there!