Dr. Michelle Jorgensen

I’ve treated tens of thousands of dental patients in my career and I find most people brush every day, but most could clean their teeth more effectively by making a few small changes to their routine.

These techniques aren’t difficult, and shouldn’t take much longer than you’re already spending cleaning your teeth. Keep reading below to learn the teeth cleaning techniques that I use personally and that I recommend to all of my patients.

After a long day of eating and drinking and dealing with stress and environmental toxins, your body, particularly your mouth, is acidic. If you start to brush your teeth when your mouth is acidic, you will brush your teeth away.

You need to pay attention to when you are cleaning. You should not clean your teeth immediately after a meal (your mouth is acidic from the food). Wait at least 15 minutes for your mouth to balance.

If you’ve had a hard day, haven’t eaten well, and if your mouth feels very dirty, it’s a good idea to balance the acidity (measured by pH) in your mouth BEFORE cleaning to protect your teeth.

Use a small amount of my Remineralizing Mouth Wash before you brush.  Swish a small amount for about 30 seconds to reduce the acidity of the mouth and to loosen any food particles that are in between the teeth.

Click here to check out my Remineralizing Mouth Wash

Your toothbrush should have soft, round-ended bristles. The head should not be more than 1 inch long. You have to be able to maneuver it around your mouth. The handle needs to be small enough to hold easily in your hand. My favorites are a my bamboo toothbrushes with soft bristles or an Oral-B electric toothbrush.

Electric toothbrushes have been shown to be more effective than manual brushes for most people. They are especially helpful for kids or adults who may not have the best manual dexterity because the brush does some of the work for you.  That doesn’t mean you can’t effectively clean your teeth with a manual brush, you just need to work a bit harder to do it effectively.

I’ve searched far and wide to find a toothpaste that is fluoride-free, easy to find, tastes decent, and actually has some beneficial ingredients. When I couldn’t find a product that fit this criteria I decided to create my own!

This is why I created my remineralizing toothpowder. It’s used in place of toothpaste. It is made of hydroxyapatite, which helps to remineralize the teeth (heal the teeth) while it cleans and whitens.

I’ve created four different varieties of tooth powders:

• Remineralizing Tooth Powder – my original toothpowder.  Designed to remineralize the teeth, remove plaque, and remove surface stains to help lighten the teeth.  It is made with a refreshing mint flavor.

• Whitening Tooth Powder – similar to the remineralizing tooth powder and has the same healing benefits but has some bonus whitening ingredients for those wanting whiter teeth. Also comes in a refreshing mint flavor.

• Sensitive Remineralizing Tooth Powder – designed with desensitizing ingredients that are designed to relieve sensitivity while remineralizing the teeth.  Also comes in the mint flavor.

• Fresh Citrus (Kids) Tooth Powder – this was originally designed for kids who don’t like minty flavors and was called “Kids Tooth Powder”. It has all the same benefits as my original remineralizing tooth powder, but instead of mint, it has a delicious citrus flavor. We discovered that there are lots of adults who also don’t love mint so we renamed it “Fresh Citrus Tooth Powder” instead of “Kids Tooth Powder”, because it’s great for kids and adults who would prefer a citrus flavor instead of mint.

When using the tooth powder simply wet your toothbrush and dip the brush bristles into the tooth powder. Brush for two minutes and then spit. Avoid rinsing and leave the tooth powder on your teeth for maximum benefits.  I recommend avoiding eating or drinking anything for about 30 minutes after brushing to allow the hydroxyapatite to sit on your teeth and remineralize them.

If you are using my Remineralizing Mouthwash, this protocol will change just a bit (I’ll explain that below)

It is recommended that you brush with tooth powder two times a day.

1.Position the brush in the middle of the tooth, but aim the bristles at a 45-degree angle toward the gums. Move the bristles gently back and forth over 1-2 teeth. Think about polishing that plaque off from the gumline all the way to the tip of the tooth.

2. After the back-and-forth motion, sweep the brush toward the tip of the tooth. You are bringing that plaque to the top.

3.Repeat for the next tooth couple of teeth. You should move from each couple of teeth to the next ones in line, brushing each, and then sweeping toward the tip on each one.

4.Take about 30 seconds to clean all of one section in your mouth. For me, that would be all the back sides of the bottom teeth. Spit everything out (you’re spitting out the plaque you removed, but you don’t need to rinse at this point).

5.Move to the next section. Now I do the front sides of the bottom teeth. Do the same along all of those teeth for 30 seconds. Spit.

6.Repeat for the other two sides–fronts of top teeth and backs of top teeth. 30 seconds each and spit at the end of each side.

7.You now have any remaining plaque sitting on the tops of the teeth. Brush the chewing surfaces for 15 seconds each, top and bottom. (This is where children get the most cavities, so make sure they don’t skip this step!)

If you’re using my toothpowder, don’t rinse after brushing.  Just simply brush, spit, and you’re done with brushing!

I find many people skip cleaning their tongues as part of their protocol. Your tongue can harbor lots of bacteria that can cause bad breath, and in general, make your mouth less healthy. Cleaning your tongue only takes a few seconds, so why not make it part of your daily routine?

To clean your tongue I recommend a tongue scraper.  There are several types of tongue scrapers a few on the market, but this scraper is the one I use and recommend for patients is my copper tongue scraper.  It is inexpensive, lightweight, and very effective.

Put the round part of the “U” as far back on your tongue as possible, while sticking your tongue out. Scrape forward against the surface of your tongue. You will see gunk on the grooves in the scraper. Rinse and repeat. Keep doing it until there is no more gunk coming off.

Cleaning your tongue can generally be done just once a day.  It takes just 30 seconds to get fresher breath!

Cleaning between your teeth doesn’t JUST mean flossing.  Floss works, but it’s not actually my first choice for most patients.

Below is a list of my favorite methods for cleaning between the teeth.

1. Bamboo Charcoal Dental Floss – Unlike most floss you find at the drug store, this bamboo charcoal floss is woven, allowing it to efficiently reduce stains and remove food debris between teeth.

The inclusion of natural antimicrobial bamboo charcoal not only ensures a cleaner space between teeth but also surpasses the cleaning capabilities of standard floss.

Moreover, activated charcoal contributes to natural teeth whitening, while the absence of harmful chemicals like BPA and PTFE makes it a safer and healthier choice for your oral hygiene.

2. A Shower Flosser – This is a water flosser that attaches to your shower head.  You divert water to the flosser and get to spend more time in the shower while cleaning your teeth (and it’s great at cleaning the grout on your tile and the gunk out of your wedding ring!)

3. A Water Irrigator (Waterpik) – A Waterpik is like the Shower Floss but it sits on your bathroom counter. Its designed to shoot water all around and in between your teeth.  Its especially great if you have lots of dental work or braces.

4. Christmas Tree Cleaners (Go-Betweens / Proxabrushes) – They aren’t actually called “Christmas Tree Cleaners” but they do look like miniature Christmas trees. The fuzzy part cleans in between the teeth really well.  For those individuals who have large spaces between their teeth, or dental bridges, these types of brushes actually work much better than floss.

There are benefits to doing a final rinse after brushing, including:

• Removing any final bits of food particles

• Improving the health of the gums and reducing inflammation

• Helping the hydroxyapatite adhere to your teeth even better and providing a longer-lasting protective layer to your teeth

• Improving symptoms of dry mouth

• Fighting fungal issues of the mouth

• Freshening your breath

If you are going to do a final rinse don’t use a traditional mouthwash!

They have a high alcohol content and actually end up drying out your mouth and causing more bacteria to grow and more bad breath.

For a long time, I actually made my own mouth rinse at home that had all the healthy ingredients I was looking for because I couldn’t find one that was available to purchase. After doing this for years I decided to manufacture my mouth rinse so I could provide these same benefits to my patients.

My mouth rinse contains:

• Micro-Hydroxyapatite: Hydroxyapatite is a naturally occurring mineral found in bones and teeth. Comprising over 90% of the enamel’s foundation, micro-hydroxyapatite aids in the remineralization process. Research suggests that it is comparable to fluoride in terms of remineralization, sensitivity reduction, and teeth whitening. It can also help prevent demineralization and forms a protective layer on the teeth, preventing bacteria from adhering to their surface. In fact, hydroxyapatite exhibits effectiveness akin to Chlorhexidine, the gold standard for combating gum disease, in reducing sticky plaque (biofilm) on teeth.

• Silver Solution: The mouthwash harnesses the power of tiny silver particles, which play a crucial role. These particles offer numerous benefits, such as boosting the remineralization effect of Hydroxyapatite. By aiding the minerals in reaching the biofilm on teeth, they support remineralization, reduce acidity, and lower the risk of tooth decay. Additionally, these silver particles possess outstanding antimicrobial properties, comparable to Chlorhexidine, a common industry standard, but without its harmful side effects. Nano-silver particles have also shown promise in minimizing inflammation and promoting faster healing around dental surgical sites.

  
  

• Xylitol: This sugar alcohol offers remarkable benefits for oral health. Xylitol cannot be utilized as a food source by bacteria, thereby hindering their growth. By acting as a saliva stimulant, xylitol aids in delivering essential minerals to the teeth. It can help to stimulate saliva which is beneficial for those with dry mouth and it prevents tooth decay and aids in remineralizing early cavities.

  
  

• Plantain Tincture: Plantain may provide a range of oral health benefits, including wound healing, prevention of mouth sores, alleviation of inflammation and pain in the gums, and fighting oral bacteria. *This is not the plantain that is similar to a banana.  This is a green herb that is not related.

  
  

• Marshmallow Root Tincture: With its bio-adhesive properties, marshmallow root binds to gum tissue, offering protection against damage. It can soothe and diminishes dry mouth symptoms, promoting a comfortable oral environment.

• Calendula Tincture: Calendula is renowned for its ability to improve gum health by reducing inflammation, bleeding, and gum and bone loss. Clinical trials have demonstrated its effectiveness in enhancing various oral health indices.

• Lavender Oil: Lavender exhibits strong antimicrobial properties, effectively combating oral issues such as candida infections. It can also provide pain relief and aid in the healing and soothing of mouth sores.

When using my toothpowder in combination with the mouth rinse, you will brush your teeth as described above. But then swish with my mouth rinse as your final step for 30 seconds and then spit it out.

The mouth rinse contains hydroxyapatite (just like the toothpowder) so you don’t have to worry about rinsing away the toothpowder because the mouth rinse is providing the same effective ingredients that your teeth need. Plus, when combined with the silver solution, it actually helps the hydroxyapatite stick to your teeth more effectively!

After rinsing with the mouth rinse I recommend avoiding eating or drinking anything for about 30 minutes so you give all the ingredients a chance to work.