Let’s Talk About Teeth

It’s no secret I am passionate about all things beauty. And while I could wax lyrical about perfume and lipstick and skincare for hours, I probably spend just as much time thinking about the more mundane aspects of personal care. Specifically, how to make those things feel less like a necessary chore and more of a pleasure. But because no one ever talks about these unglamorous topics, I thought we should do just that over here.

So let’s start with oral hygiene (because I’ve recently started Invisalign and am thus a bit obsessed with teeth currently). These are all my favourite products and tips, but I’d love to know yours too:

1. Brush // First things first: stop scrubbing your teeth in a vigorous back-and-forth method, because that’s only going to damage your gums. Second: if you can, invest in an electric toothbrush because it makes all the difference. I treated myself to this rose gold electric toothbrush for Christmas a year ago (I’m wild, I know). Although I’ll admit I bought it for entirely superficial reasons (I thought it would look less hideous on my bathroom counter than the blue and white version I’d had for years), it really is the best on the market and even my dentist and hygienist keep commenting on my excellent brushing (*proud face*). I don’t bother with the app and just use the preset settings, but I think the biggest difference is that it actually forces me to brush my teeth in the right way and for a full two minutes (it tells you when to move areas and when to stop, as well as when you’re brushing too hard).

2. Toothpaste // In the interests of reducing my plastic waste, I tried Lush’s toothpaste and mouthwash tabs but personally found them revolting, so that didn’t last very long. However I do firmly believe that brushing – given we all have to do it every single day – should be more pleasurable than the standard issue so-strong-they-burn-your-mouth peppermint toothpaste options available at the pharmacy. I bought a tube of Marvis jasmine toothpaste when I was having a bad day years ago, I think because it was the cheapest thing in the Liberty beauty hall, but also because I have a weakness for anything floral-flavoured. It’s expensive for toothpaste but cheap for a nice beauty product, and it actually makes brushing a pleasure rather than a chore (I actually look forward to using this). The jasmine flavour is still my staple (it tastes like jasmine tea with a subtle minty aftertaste), but I also like the fruity Rambas and the whitening versions. Full disclosure: once you try fancy toothpaste you can probably never go back.

3. Floss // There is simply no chic way to floss, but it’s absolutely necessary to prevent plaque and cavities (which start between the teeth). I used to find flossing such a chore that I’d only do it when necessary, but these floss picks make life so much easier that now I’ll routinely do it every time I brush, or at the very least nightly. I rinse and use them a few times so it’s less wasteful in terms of plastic, and always have one tucked into my handbag in case of kale-related emergencies.

4. Mouthwash // Like brushing, this is one of those incredibly boring products I like to upgrade to be a little more fancy given how often I use it. I used to detest drugstore mouthwash which would burn my mouth and obliterate my tastebuds, so now I alternate between this Floris rose version and this Marvis minty version (it seems expensive but the bottle is actually a concentrated liquid, and you mix a tiny bit in a glass of water and gargle that – so the bottle lasts a long time). But if you have a lot of cavities or issues, then look for something with fluoride that will help strengthen your enamel – I use this one after whitening or a hygienist appointment when I’m feeling sensitive.

5. Whiten // Although I like my teeth to look nice and bright, I prefer to do an intense treatment occasionally rather than using daily products which claim to whiten, but which give your enamel no chance to recover and thus only seem to make my teeth sensitive rather than actually whitening them. So once or twice a year I’ll buy a whitening treatment from my dentist (it comes in syringes which you squirt into trays to fit your teeth), and will do that nightly for a week to get rid of any excess discolouration. And then once a week I use this overnight serum (which also works perfectly under my Invisalign retainers) just to help erase the tea and coffee stains that otherwise accumulate.

6. Protect // Our enamel is vital to the long-term health of our teeth, but is constantly under attack from acid in the food we eat – sugar, fruit, coffee, alcohol, and soda – not to mention the prevalence of harsh whitening products these days. Since discovering Regenerate when I worked with them last year, I now like to do a course of the enamel repair serum every couple of months, or whenever I do a course of whitening. It really helps with sensitivity, and hopefully helps protect my teeth and keep them strong long term.

7. Maintain // Most importantly, ensure you’re visiting the dentist for a checkup every single year, and the hygienist for a cleaning ideally every six months, or yearly at the very least. I agree there is *nothing* pleasant about going to the dentist, but even with the most meticulous dental routine your teeth still need the professionals (and prevention is easier than treatment). I had to find a new dentist but got complacent until I realised it had been nearly two years since my last appointment. What should have been a routine cleaning turned into the most traumatic torture session and my teeth were sensitive for weeks afterwards – just because I’d left it too long and the buildup was harder to shift. Now I’m paranoid and go every single January to make sure I catch any issues early, and it’s a relatively painless process.

8. Straighten // Although my teeth have always been fairly straight, I have an off-centre cross-bite and they’re really tightly spaced (as a result of my wisdom teeth trying – and failing – to come through years ago). Neither were visible when I smile, but they were starting to cause wear and tear and would cause more problems down the line if I didn’t address them, so I wanted to straighten them out (literally). Given our teeth shift and worsen with age, I definitely recommend looking into correcting any issues while you’re still young. I did a lot of research into the various methods and could not fathom the thought of having visible braces as an adult, so settled on Invisalign as the best approach for me. I started last October, and I’m currently about 1/3 of the way through my treatment. I’m seeing the excellent Dr Francis Scriven and his team at Anglia Orthodontics, and they have made the whole process so easy (if you’re near Cambridge, I simply cannot recommend them enough). I wear the aligners for 22 hours a day (I just take them out for meals, but the side effect has been it’s helped curb my afternoon snack and coffee habit), but most people don’t know I’m wearing them unless I mention it (you’d have to look *really* closely at my photos to tell), so it’s not a big deal. Once a week I scan my teeth via the Dental Monitoring app (which removes the need for frequent orthodontist appointments), my orthodontist checks everything is as it should be and replies the same day with any feedback (but I also secretly like getting his positive reinforcement every week), and I switch to my next set of aligners that evening. I’ll do a conclusive post answering all things Invisalign-related when I’ve finished my treatment later this year, so let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Pictured: Marvis mouthwash // Marvis toothpaste // Oral B electric toothbrush // Floris mouthwash // Regenerate enamel serum c/- // Astley Clarke necklaces c/- // H&M tray.

Love, Briony xx

This is not a sponsored post, although I did receive a generous discount on my Invisalign treatment via Anglia Orthodontics and previously worked with Regenerate on a sponsored Instagram post (however I have continued to use the products ever since). As always, this does not alter my views and all opinions remain my own.