From a very young age, we are taught to brush and floss our teeth twice a day to keep our smile healthy. Of course, this is great advice, and those of us who practice it are doing what we should for our oral health. However, even brushing twice a day and seeing a dentist on a regular basis isn’t all we can do to improve our oral health. Most of these other ways are simple and help you care for a confident and healthy smile.

Fortunately for everyone, even those that brush their teeth and there’s no second thought to oral health, implementing the simple ways of keeping up your oral health don’t require much work at all. To start, when you brush your teeth, begin by not rinsing your mouth after you spit. Most people know the long-term benefits of an ADA-approved fluoride toothpaste, so you’ve already done the hard work. When you spit without rinsing, it keeps the fluoride in your toothpaste on your teeth so they can be continually protected even after brushing. During a routine checkup, dentists do a fluoride treatment. By not rinsing after spitting, you can take the same measure at home.

Although it is easy to forget, it is important to replace your toothbrush every 3 months. By replacing a toothbrush, you ensure you don’t use a brush with built up bacteria, and always use a soft or hard toothbrush according to your dental needs and comfort level. Replacing your toothbrush is something that we easily forget, but a clean-looking toothbrush can be deceiving. One quick tip is to keep extra toothbrushes around, so that, once you remember, you can easily switch to a brand-new, clean brush that is much better for your teeth.

One easy, much easier said than done, way to improve your oral health is to decrease your sugar intake. This feels like a no brainer, but is difficult for some people as sugar can not only be addicting, but offers us those feel-good hormones. Still, sugar is notoriously bad for teeth. Even taking a few simple life changes, like an apple for a piece of candy, that lower your sugar consumption directly benefits your oral health. If you smoke tobacco or drink alcohol, quit. It isn’t an easy process, mentally or physically, but once you do, you see the oral health benefits immediately. Smoking, especially, stains and damages your teeth.

And, among the easiest ways to take care of your oral health, is to visit a dental clinic. Many of us haven’t been to the dentist in a while, and the reasons may vary from anxiety to simply being busy. However, you deserve a dentist that will not judge you on your time without them and simply take care of your smile.