'I'm a dentist - save money by sharing a toothbrush and ditching mouthwash'

Jessica O’Connor has shared money-saving dental hygiene tips (Image: SWNS)

With the cost of living crisis taking its toll on most households, a dental hygienist has shared some money-saving dental care tips.

Jessica O’Connor says you only need to spend £50 per year on dental hygiene.

The 31-year-old said you can save cash by sharing an electric toothbrush as a household, with each member having their own removable head.

However, she advised using supermarket own-brand tops and avoiding spending money on brush heads that match the brush body.

Jessica said all toothpaste with fluoride is “exactly the same,” so go for cheap ones.

She recommends using an electric toothbrush over a manual toothbrush and avoiding using mouthwash altogether.

Jessica, from Little Port, Cambridgeshire, said: “All my patients are always advised to get an electric toothbrush.

“The difference between manual and electric is the difference between a broom and a hoover. Electric is so much more effective.

“Of course, I understand everyone is struggling for money, so a great way to cut down on costs is just to get one toothbrush – there’s always one on offer – and then buy multiple heads.

“When you buy a pack of four heads they all come with a different coloured band at the bottom, and you can also buy different toothbrush head protectors so you can all share the toothbrush body.”

Jessica

Jessica said you only need to spend £50 per year on dental hygiene (Image: SWNS)

Jessica advised that people should still use their own toothbrush heads.

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“Everyone has to have their own heads,” she said.

“It’s just not hygienic to share, and no one will want to share the same ones anyway.

“But you don’t need really expensive branded heads to match the toothbrush – I would just buy cheap own-brand heads from the supermarket.

“Just wipe down the toothbrush after use to clean off any toothpaste.”

There is no need to shell out on expensive products according to Jessica, who recommended cheap own-brand versions for toothpaste and floss.

Jessica said the most important ingredient to look for is fluoride.

She said: “In regards to using a toothpaste, they are all exactly the same as long as it has fluoride in it – you don’t need to spend £8 in it .

“The fluoride is to strengthen your teeth so it’s really key.”

For Jess, the second step of routine should be a good floss – and mouthwash is not necessary.

She said: “The other thing that I would always encourage people to use in a dental routine is something to clean in between the teeth, whether this be floss or interdental brushes.

“You don’t have to get the big brand names. You can just get like Tesco own brand or Superdrug – it’s all the same thing.

“To be honest, I would advise just not to use mouthwash, to save your money.

“The way to keep your mouth clean is to get rid of plaque, so if you’re brushing correctly and cleaning the teeth there shouldn’t be any plaque there, and mouthwash doesn’t remove it as such anyway.

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“So really, you can just brush and floss and have a really healthy mouth and not need to spend your money on mouthwash.”

For people who want to keep their smile bright, Jessica said this simple routine should keep teeth clean and stain-free.

She said: “All the good electric toothbrushes nowadays have something called a pressure sensor.

“That helps with maintaining the correct pressure and it also helps keep your teeth white.

“If you put too much pressure on with a manual toothbrush it’s actually thin in the enamel and the underneath layer, called the dentin, is the yellow or brown colour of the tooth.

“So the hard you’re brushing the thinner the enamel, the more yellow your teeth are going to get.

“Just use nice gentle pressure or an electric toothbrush with a pressure sensor to keep teeth nice and white.”

Although Jess said dental check ups can be expensive for people trying to cut budgets, she emphasised how important they are.

“It is really, really important to go and have your dental check up.

“Not only are we there just looking at your teeth, but we do like oral cancer checks, and we can tell so much by someone’s mouth like detecting HIV and diabetes.

“There’s so many general health issues that can be detected in the mouth that you necessarily wouldn’t be aware of.

“So having your routine check up is super, super important.

“I understand it is expensive, but in the long, long run, it is better to go and have your general check to prevent health issues that you might not be aware of.

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“A lot of dentists now have started up dental plans where you pay you get two dental check ups and two hygiene visits a year, which actually works out cheaper than if you were paying privately, at about £8 per session so it might be worth speaking to your dentist and seeing if they are signed up.”