I have greatly improved my dental health the past 5 years with the following:
1. Water pik. $30 on Amazon, faster than brushing or flossing and kind of fun, so I do it 4 times a day on the weekend, and 1-2 times during the week.
2. Sonic-care brush + regular toothbrush for occasional cleaning of stuck things + ultrasoft regular brush for normal manual brushing. Ultrasoft will be easier on your gums.
3. This is really key: WOVEN dental floss. It both removes far more than normal floss and is gentler. Normal wax floss it is easy to accidentally do it too hard and cause bleeding. This has never happened with woven. It is so much better than since I switched I actually do it every day. Strangely it is hard to find, some stores only have one brand out of 10 flosses, maybe 2. If I see it on sale I will buy 20+ for this reason.
4. I don’t keep any carbs at home and a COMPLETE avoidance of sticky carbs (most candy is both 50-90% sugar and sticky).
5. Unprocessed meat (steak not burgers) and raw vegetables keep the jaw strong. With the modern diet, we chew much less than our ancestors.
6. Cleaning 4 times a year for several years, now down to 3.
