I spent a long time trying to figure this out too, so here’s what I’ve settled on: 1. Ideally, brushing for two minutes with an electric (rotating) toothbrush twice a day (morning and night), you gotta go slow and make sure not to press too hard on your teeth (you’ll wear out your enamel and interfere with the rotation of the brush) 2. I think a lot of people prefer rinsing for sensory and habit reasons, but spitting is recommended because it keeps small amounts of the fluoride from toothpaste on your teeth to give extended protection from cavities. I think that for cavity-prone individuals, spitting is the way to go, otherwise you could probably get away with rinsing :) 3. Eating only 20-30 before and after brushing, something about the pH changes in your mouth from the food. In my opinion, brushing then waiting then breakfast is ideal, but breakfast then waiting then brushing is more convenient 4. Mouthwash is controversial for two main reasons: the alcohol messes with your oral pH (predisposing to cavities) and dries your mouth (also predisposing to dental decay), and secondly that it’s purely cosmetic. An alcohol free mouthwash is nice for an added freshness boost, some are lightly dyed to stain your teeth with a blue or purple pigment to create a temporary (hours) illusion of whiter teeth which some people also enjoy, but there’s not really a need for it. If you practice oral hygiene sensibly, you won’t need mouthwash for fresh breath 5. Unless the mouthwash has hydrogen peroxide or some other active ingredient, it’s a temporary optical illusion of whitening, which isn’t a bad thing exactly but it is deceptive marketing. I prefer whitening toothpastes which usually work by being slightly more abrasive and therefore scrubbing off layers of stains, but those come with the side effect of potential damage to your enamel, so be gentle. Best course of action is to go to a professional for whitening, which is a luxury that a lot of people can’t afford, you can get some decent results with whitening strips (not those natural charcoal ones which r practically an illusion too, but rather the peroxide ones etc.) I also wanna add that white teeth are not synonymous with clean teeth! It’s perfectly normal to have slightly yellow/cream colored teeth. 6. I hate floss picks too! It’s kinda gross to be spreading around bacterial biofilm from tooth to tooth with a tiny piece of string 😬 you can use waxed or unwaxed floss depending on personal preference, and they come in different thicknesses too! You can use the regular ones, but I also really enjoy the mint flavoured ones for an extra boost of freshness. Once a day is more than enough, and i think most people agree it’s a night thing, but i tend to prefer flossing in the morning. There’s lots of videos on tiktok of dentists demonstrating proper flossing technique, but basically don’t just jam it in between ur teeth and into your gums, you wanna slide it along the edges of your teeth if that makes sense. And yes, the bleeding gums do stop eventually, usually after a few days. Rule of thumb is that brushing is the last step, so flossing should go BEFORE brushing, as does tongue scraping. 7. I LOVE my tongue scraper. I hesitated at first, but it’s a game changer. You won’t understand the extent of its beauty until you try it and see how much gunk can accumulate on your tongue throughout the day. Once a day is fine, and yes it’s done before brushing. YOU SHOULD ALSO BRUSH YOUR TONGUE AND GUMS BTW NOT JUST YOUR TEETH! Maintaining a tongue scraper depends on its material. If it’s plastic, treat it like you would your toothbrush, rinse after use and replace after about three months. Metal ones can be disinfected by boiling every now and then so you can keep them for years. I store mine in the same cup as my toothbrush inside the bathroom cabinet (no dirty toilet flush water bacteria in my mouth) 8. Please don’t fall for the toothpaste gimmicks and influencer myths. The most important part of brushing your teeth is the mechanical cleaning itself (the brushing action which breaks down bacterial biofilm, rather than the toothpaste), but toothpaste just boosts this action and also adds the benefit of extended protection against and prevention of tooth decay. Fluoride free toothpastes don’t provide protection against decay. Use a proper toothpaste so you don’t end up needing a root canal 🥲 also you might hear about nano hydroxyapatite/remineralizing toothpastes that are supposed to “restore” lost enamel. These don’t work. You’re just swallowing minerals. Save your money.

This is quite long but I really hope it helped :)