Manual toothbrushes come in super-soft, soft, medium and hard bristles. Super soft is recommended for people with gum recession, and soft is recommended for everyone else. Medium and hard toothbrushes are too firm to be healthy for the teeth and gums. Make sure to use the proper technique when brushing with a manual toothbrush.
Electric toothbrushes come in rectangular, circular or oval shape and either oscillate or use a sweeping motion. An electric toothbrush does most of the work for you; make sure to access all tooth surfaces.
A sulcabrush is like a manual toothbrush with 1/3rd of the bristles. Because of its smaller size, it is used to access difficult to clean areas, such as behind the last molars.
Dental floss comes in either waxed or un-waxed. Waxed dental floss is excellent for tight contacts and shreds less, while unwaxed floss is more absorbent.
Floss threaders are used for fixed appliances such as braces, fixed retainers, bridges and implants. The threader consists of a loop that can thread between the teeth.
Super floss is used for the same considerations as floss threaders, but instead of a loop, it is a pre-cut piece of floss with a ridged end on one side that can be threaded between the teeth and under appliances.
Water Flosser is a different type of flossing that involves using a small tool that sprays water to flush out bacteria.
A proxabrush is a small pipe cleaner looking brush that can be used to clean between teeth with larger spaces.
Soft Picks are similar to proxabrush, but soft picks are much thinner so they can be used in smaller spaces.
A tongue scraper is an appliance used to clean the rough surface of the tongue between the papilla. The tongue harbours a large number of bacteria and can contribute to bad breath. To clean your tongue, you can use a separate tongue scraper or a toothbrush that has a tongue cleaner on the back of it.
Mouthwash helps to reduce the total bacteria count in the mouth. It is important to select a mouthwash with active ingredients that have been approved by the CDA.
Fluoride is an important ingredient to reduce cavity risk. Fluoride is incorporated in toothpaste and mouthwash. It is important not to eat, drink or rinse for 30 minutes after fluoride to allow it to be effective.