How To Care Your Teeth

Brushing Your Teeth

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   Brush your teeth thoroughly at least twice a day, for two minutes each time. Make sure you brush on all sides of your teeth and get your tongue. You can ask your dentist(s) for a demonstration. It is best to do one of these times before you go to bed, as your mouth does not have the same salivary protection when you are sleeping as it does during the day. If you can, brush after lunch as well. Brushing during the day will reduce the damage caused by plaque byproducts and toxins.
   
   
   • Each tooth has five distinct sides; a toothbrush cleans only 3 of those 5 sides. The other two sides are where much of the destruction and disease (not to mention foul odors) originate: the in between areas. These remaining two sides require dental floss or tiny inter-dental brushes that can reach in-between and under the contact points of the teeth. Gum disease is linked to life-threatening illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and premature low birth weight babies.
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   Use a dry bristle brush for the first two minutes of cleaning. It's not the toothpaste that "cleans" your teeth, it's the mechanical action of the bristles in physical contact with the tooth surface that removes plaque (a living bio-film teeming with microorganisms that cause disease). You can do a magnificent job brushing your teeth using a dry brush and rinsing with water (although your teeth will not have the benefit of fluoride).
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   Spend time moving the bristles at and below the gum line, where it is most important to clean. The toothpaste can go on after those two minutes, and you can have the advantage of fluoride, whitening, stain removal or whatever works better for you because it's applied to a nice clean surface.

Floss Your Teeth

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   Floss your teeth daily and after any food that will stick in your teeth (i.e. corn on the cob, caramel, peanut butter, etc.). This cleans the other sides of your teeth that you couldn't reach with your toothbrush.
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   Use a tongue scraper. A tongue scraper is an important part of oral hygiene that will also work wonders with stale, smelly breath. Use it to remove the plaque on your tongue, which will freshen breath and presumably slow down the accumulation of plaque on your teeth. Alternatively, you can use your toothbrush to clean your tongue.

Use Mouth Wash

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   Find a fluoride mouthwash. Fluoride mouthwashes help to strengthen tooth enamel. Teach children between the age of six and twelve good rinsing skills to prevent swallowing. Follow the directions on the bottle. Right before you got to bed is a good time.

Choose Your Foods Wisely

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   Avoid snacking constantly. Snacking constantly can cause plaque to build up on your teeth, which can increase the risk of getting cavities.
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   Avoid sugary and/or sticky foods. Sugar feeds the bacteria in your mouth, which then excrete substances that break down tooth enamel.
   • Eat lots of vegetables, and drink water instead of soda or juice.
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   Remember that fruit juices are full of acids and natural sugars. Keep drinking these to a minimum or only drink them at meal-times, when the saliva is flowing most.
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   Try to chew less seeds. It may produce fissures in your molars.

Visit the dentist

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   Visit your dentist at least every six months and every time that you have a problem with your teeth. Schedule a professional cleaning with a registered dental hygienist. #Visit the dentist twice a year and Be an "informed health care consumer" and pay attention to what is going on. Ask your dental hygienist what your probings are at each visit! (They should be between 1 mm and 3 mm deep.)
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   Most important: In addition to checking for signs of cavities or gum disease, the dentist and dental hygienist can give you feedback about how effective your plaque removal at home is, and more importantly help you learn the best way to brush and floss. You need to know how to prevent problems by having your skills evaluated. If you are not effective with flossing and brushing technique, you are only wasting your time while leaving the door open for infection and disease. How many times a day you brush & floss, or how long you spend brushing are all SECONDARY to your degree of skill using them. It all boils down to whether or not you can effectively reach and remove the adherent biofilm surrounding every one of your teeth, at and below the gumline. Ask your dental hygienist to watch your technique and work with you! That's what we're there for!
   
   

Tips

• Understand that when you brush, you don't need a lot of toothpaste; just squeeze out a bit the size of a pea.
• Replace your toothbrush every three months.
• Spend extra time on the back teeth along the gum-line, holding the bristles at a 45 degree angle pointing toward the gums, as plaque and other bacteria can build up easily there because of your saliva stream.
• Everyone has millions of bacteria living in their mouths that have one goal: find a hard surface to stick to and grow into a community. This happens rapidly and automatically, whether we know it or not, twenty-four hours a day, and three hundred and sixty-five days a year. It cannot be avoided because our bacteria are part of us and present whether we like it or not. Once they attach themselves to a tooth surface, they form what is called "plaque" - the invisible film that coats your teeth. You have probably felt this 'fuzzy sweater' feeling on your teeth when you wake up in the morning and run your tongue along the outside of the upper back teeth next to your cheek. Taking care of your teeth involves disrupting the plaque by means of physical contact with dental floss and toothbrush bristles.
• Use a thorough, effective technique with a slow circular motion aimed AT and BELOW the gumline, inside and out, top and bottom. Brushing too hard may abrade your gums or cause them to recede and/or bleed, while brushing too soft will do nothing to get rid of plaque/biofilm.
• Floss your teeth before brushing. This is so that plaque from the outside and inside surfaces of the teeth gets dislodged too be killed when you brush.
• Aim the bristles toward the gumline and brush the insides and outsides of your teeth in a small circular motion.
• Use a linear motion to brush the top sides of your teeth (chewing surfaces).
• When brushing the back sides of your front teeth, hold the toothbrush upright (vertical) and move it up and down along each individual tooth - both lower and upper arches. Repeat several times for each tooth.
• Use mouth wash after brushing.
• Chewing gum between meals, especially if the gum is sweetened with xylitol, helps keep your mouth moist, and your teeth cleaner, both of which are good for your teeth.
• Get into the habit of drinking with a straw, as this directs the (possibly sugary) drink away from your teeth.
• If you smoke, you will be more prone to bad breath, gum infection and bone loss. Also, it prevents you from experiencing the real taste of food and drinks.
• Don't forget to brush the back of your tongue and the upper palate of your mouth.
• When you use mouthwash, use as directed on the bottle, read all instructions BEFORE using the product.
• New prescription toothpastes are now available that can actually reverse early lesions (cavities) by remineralization and also bring added protection to those areas on the verge of breaking down. Ask your dentist or dental hygienist about these products... they are a major breakthrough in preventing decay!
• Bulimia can wreak havoc on your teeth, causing irreversible damage from the strong acid in your stomach that comes back up into the mouth while regurgitating. When you have a check up at the dentist, this destruction is clearly visible to them.
• Try and drink milk, as it is high in calcium. Calcium helps bones and teeth to grow stronger.

Warnings

• Don't swallow toothpaste. Be sure to rinse and spit after brushing.
• Less is more. Don't floss, brush teeth, or scrape tongue too roughly. Over-brushing or rough flossing can cause gums to recede.
• Some toothpaste is not recommended to be used daily if they are too strong - check the label of your toothpaste for details.
• Never brush your teeth right after a big meal. Wait about a half an hour and then go. Otherwise, you could damage your enamel!
• Don't swallow mouth wash.
• After having an especially sugary drink, washing your mouth out with water or milk will help get rid of harmful acids.

•Don't use a brush with firm bristles, as this will scratch away at the protective layer that coats your teeth.

• Don't wear mouth piercings. It produce micro-fractures in your teeth that might break your dental pieces.
• Don't cut strands with your teeth because it will conduct eventually to extreme sensitivity.
• Avoid biting objects/nails. It might cause tiny fissures and/or cracks in your teeth.
• Don't chew gum constantly. IT will lead to articular problems and tooth cavities.
• Avoid using toothpicks. They lead to gum disease.
• Don't take drugs not prescribed by a dentist. Some drugs work causing friction with your gums which conducts to gum irritation and inflammation.

 Things You'll Need

• Toothpaste
• A good quality toothbrush, electric or manual, (soft bristled).
• Dental floss
• Tongue cleaner(Can use your toothbrush).
• Sugar free chewing gum (for use during and after meals), can even use whitening gum!
• Mouth wash (It can help restore some enamel). If you have weak enamel use pronamel toothpaste.
• Toothpicks(To get everything out)