mouthwash-700-300x232Maybe you take your oral care very seriously. If you do, you likely brush your teeth at least twice a day and more likely after every meal. Dentists consistently recommend that people brush their teeth at least twice a day, but the more often you brush your teeth, especially after eating a meal or snack, the better it’s going to be for your oral health in the long.

If you’re brushing your teeth and paying attention to the recommendations of your dentist, then you probably floss as well. When you floss, you’re getting all of the residual food particles out from between your teeth. This helps keep your teeth and gums in great condition and it can also have a direct impact on your breath.

One thing many people tend to overlook or don’t do properly is rinsing out afterward with mouthwash. If you’re one of those people and you have a tendency to rinse with water only, you’re missing out on an opportunity to boost your oral care.

Mouthwash contains some level of alcohol, which is known to kill germs and certain bacteria. Depending on the type of mouthwash you choose, it can also help your breath stay minty fresh.

Just taking a little bit of mouthwash and swishing it around your mouth for 15 seconds isn’t enough. Sure, it’s going to help expel most of the food particles that you dislodged thanks to flossing, but in order to do it right you should be rinsing with mouthwash for at least two minutes every single time.

So, proper oral care involves brushing your teeth, which should take you a minimum of two minutes, flossing, depending on how long it actually takes you to floss, and rinsing with mouthwash for a minimum of two minutes. All told, each time you take care of your teeth during the day, it should be approximately five minutes of your time. If you do this twice a day, you’re talking about only 10 minutes.

That’s 10 minutes to better oral health for the long run.