Brushing your teeth is not enough to keep your whole mouth healthy.  Here are a few tips on how you can take care of your teeth that will last for a lifetime.

* Do a self exam.  Check your mouth every couple of months.  Check for red and white patches, flaking on the tongue, pigmented lesions and sores with uneven borders.
* Calm cankers are benign but painful sores that tend to pop up when you’re stressed.  To ease the pain, dab a topical pain reliever like Anbesol or Orajel directly on the spot.
* Brush your teeth and the back of your tongue to remove odor-causing bacteria.  You can skip mouthwash because it only temporarily masks the problem and could make bad breath come back. Most mouthwashes contain alcohol that dries the gums and reduces saliva flow that causes germs to multiply in your mouth.
* Don’t forget to brush the highly cavity-prone areas far in the back of the mouth.
* Don’t forget to floss because toothbrush bristles can get only as far as 1 millimeter underneath the gum line.
* Visit your dentist for regular check-ups.