How to Use Pills to Clean Teeth

Dental hygiene is an important part of your health maintenance. Learning how to care for your teeth usually starts in early childhood, but being certain that you have cleaned your teeth well can be a challenge at any age. Your dentist, dental hygienist, or local pharmacy can provide you with disclosure pills or tablets. These small, pink or red pills contain a harmless, food-grade dye that is designed to react to the presence of oral bacterial plaque. Using these tablets before and after brushing can lead to better skills in dental care. Disclosure pills can be used by both children and adults to develop improved brushing techniques.

Things You'll Need

• Disclosure pills
• Mirror
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Water

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Instructions

• 1

  Place one disclosure pill into your mouth and chew it thoroughly. It should dissolve completely.

• 2

  Smile widely and check your teeth in a mirror. The dye from the tablets will stain areas of your teeth that are coated in bacterial plaque. The color will be darker or lighter according to the amount of plaque present.

• 3

  Moisten a toothbrush and apply toothpaste to its bristles.

• 4

  Brush the inner and outer surfaces of your teeth, concentrating most on the stained areas shown by the disclosing tablets. Remove all traces of dye and rinse your mouth well.

• 5

  Chew another pill until it dissolves as before. The dye will show you any areas that you missed during brushing. Brush again until no stains are visible to ensure proper dental hygiene.