Dental Care Tips for 2024

How can you get the healthy smile you want, without draining your bank account? We’ve got a few tips to help you brighten and enhance your oral health in the New Year.

Upgrade Your Toothbrush

It’s important to switch your toothbrush every three or four months, but it’s so easy to forget to do it, right? We recommend setting a reminder on your calendar.

When you replace your current toothbrush, look for one with a head and bristles small enough to scrub all of your back teeth and those crevices in your molars. You also want a soft-bristled toothbrush, it’s just as effective as a hard-bristled one if you brush correctly and is much less likely to damage your gums or dental enamel. Consider treating yourself to a smart toothbrush with a partner app that gives real-time feedback on your brushing technique and suggestions to help you do better. For children, look for brushes with apps that include timed games and reward badges to make dental hygiene fun.

Don’t Forget Your Tongue

Your tongue can harbor bacteria that cause bad breath, tooth decay, and gum infections. You can gently brush your tongue with your toothbrush while you’re cleaning your teeth, but the Cleveland Clinic says dedicated tongue scrappers will do a better job. Tongue-scraping devices made from plastic, copper, or stainless steel are available at most drug stores and generally cost under $10. And some toothbrushes now come with a tongue scraper on the back of the brush head or handle.

Try a New Toothpaste

You might opt for a whitening toothpaste to brighten your teeth by a shade or remove some light stains. Or, if your teeth are super sensitive, a desensitizing toothpaste might be useful. Typically, dental professionals will recommend that you use toothpaste with the ADA seal since they are proven safe and effective in protecting teeth from decay. Don’t rely on toothpaste to fix issues that require professional dental care, though. Professional cleanings are essential to rid your mouth of plaque you can’t remove at home.

Professional Whitening

Get your teeth whitened by a pro for the best results. Your dentist will protect your gums with a desensitizing gel or shield before applying a peroxide gel that’s stronger than anything you can purchase for safe at-home use to your teeth. The solution is then activated by exposure to high-intensity light. Expect to spend a half-hour to an hour in the dentist’s chair. The average cost is $450-$600. Pricey, yes, but you can save on professional whitening treatments by joining a dental savings plan — many plans include savings on cosmetic treatments, such as teeth whitening.

If your teeth and gums are healthy, you may be able to brighten them with over-the-counter products such as bleaching strips or whitening kits. But ask your dentist before trying at-home whitening products, especially if you’ve had restorative treatments such as bonding, veneers, crowns, and fillings in the front of your teeth or if your teeth are badly stained. Do-it-yourself whitening treatments can damage previous dental work or create unevenly colored teeth.

See Your Dentist Regularly

Being proactive about your oral health can lead to healthier teeth and gums, meaning you’re less likely to experience tooth loss, periodontal disease, and other dental problems. Oral health is increasingly being linked to overall health, and dental disease may raise your risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory and ear infections, digestive problems, certain types of cancer and dementia, among other health issues. Plus regular checkups can help you save money on dental care. By practicing good dental habits at home, you may not need costly restorative dental procedures such as crowns, implants, and fillings.

If you don’t have dental insurance or if it doesn’t cover the treatments you need, consider joining a dental savings plan – an affordable alternative to dental insurance that offers savings on virtually all dental procedures at more than 140K dentists nationwide, including cosmetic treatments like whitening and overlays, which are not usually included with traditional insurance. Plan members report saving an average of 50%* on their dental care. To learn more, call us at 1-833-735-0399 or use our calculator below for a quick peek at how much you can save today.

*Discount Health Program consumer and provider surveys indicate average savings of 50%. Savings may vary by provider, location, and plan.