The confinements and the wearing of the mask have, it seems, pushed the French to take less care of their oral hygiene last year.

For Jimmy Mohamed, doctor and health columnist, it is a relaxation to be corrected very quickly with a few simple rules, which he recalls in the morning of Europe 1, Wednesday.

With the confinements imposed to fight against the coronavirus, the French would have taken less care of their teeth and somewhat neglected their brushing.

This is evidenced by toothpaste sales, which simply fell by 26% last year, during the first containment.

The drop is even more impressive for toothbrushes, which saw sales plummet by 43%.

As much as it is understandable to shave less or pluck your eyebrows while working from home, brushing your teeth must remain an essential gesture, insists doctor Jimmy Mohamed in his health column on Europe 1, Wednesday.

Two minutes per brushing, three months per brush

A toothbrush should be changed every three months, every season.

You should choose a toothbrush with soft bristles, because hard bristles are of no interest.

They will even be harmful for the gum, damaging it.

The rule is this: brush your teeth for two minutes, twice a day, not forgetting to brush the gum tissue to remove any food debris that may have remained and promote the proliferation of dental plaque. 

Homemade toothpaste is no

Homemade toothpaste is a really bad idea.

A toothpaste is composed of antiseptics, which allows to have an anti-inflammatory action on the gum and an anti-bacterial action to limit the multiplication of bacteria.

It also contains a surfactant which, more often than not, is a foaming and detergent agent.

It will facilitate the detachment of dental plaque.

>> Find Jimmy Mohamed's column every morning at 8:37 am on Europe 1 as well as in replay and podcast here

Finally, 90% of industrial toothpastes contain fluorine, a mineral that will strengthen the enamel and make it less sensitive to acid attacks.

It is probably the best anti-caries agent.

However, in a homemade toothpaste, there is no fluoride so almost no protection.

Run away from baking soda and charcoal 

Again, this is a very bad idea.

The bicarbonate will act as a stripping agent and ultimately damage your enamel irreversibly.

This enamel, which protects your tooth, never grows back.

The same goes for charcoal powder, which will be way too abrasive and make your teeth porous and too brittle.

Finally, for those who would be tempted to use lemon as a whitening agent, know that it works but that it will gradually demineralize the tooth ... and therefore kill it.

Nothing like an old-fashioned brushing of teeth as well as an annual visit to the dentist for a dental check-up as well as a small descaling.

Because soon we will be able to take off our mask and smile back to life.