Prevention is the emphasis of our office
Oral Health Articles
The first step is to choose a good toothbrush.
You always want to use a soft brush with a small head. A soft brush is hard
enough to remove plaque and soft enough not to damage your teeth or gum.
The next issue is to choose a good
toothpaste. In general any toothpaste that contains Fluoride will do the job,
unless you have a special need that is determined by your dentist. Two of the
best brands of toothpastes are Colgate Total and Crest Multicare.
The first rule of brushing
is to start from a specific location and work your way to the opposite side and
all the way through the whole mouth so that you end where you started. This way
you won't miss any area. Also usually a pea size of tooth paste is
 enough.
A good brushing should at lease take 2 minutes and ideally around 4 minutes.
There are many different
techniques for brushing your teeth but one of the most popular ones is described
here:
Hold the brush with a 45
degree angle toward the teeth and the gum. Gently press against the gum so the
tips of the bristles go in between the gum and the teeth. Then apply lateral
vibration for a few times and roll down the brush
to sweep the plaque away from the teeth and the gum. Repeat this motion 6 to 10
times and move on to the next area of 2 to 3 teeth. If your mouth is full of
foam, spit out and continue brushing. Your brushing is completed when you have
brushed all the surfaces of your teeth and not when your mouth is full!
On chewing surfaces, short
strokes will work best to get the plaque out of the grooves and pits. Also when
brushing the front teeth from inside, hold your brush vertically to be able to
reach the teeth better.
As far as frequency of
brushing is concerned, ideally you want to brush your teeth after each meal. But
if you can t, brush at least twice a day after breakfast and before going to
bed.
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The surfaces that are between teeth are not
accessible to brush; Therefore, the best way to clean them is with flossing. The
frequency of flossing is like brushing and ideally after each meal, though one
time a day (before going to bed) is the minimum necessary.
To start, cut a piece of
dental floss (approximately 2 feet). Wrap both sides of the floss around your
middle fingers. Using your index and thumb move the floss in between all your
teeth one by one. When flossing, make sure you are not cutting your gum. The
goal is to clean the teeth surfaces and not the gum. In each space in between
the teeth, press the floss against each tooth (hug the tooth) and gently move it
back and forth and up and down and then move to the opposite surface of the
adjacent tooth.
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There have been multiple studies comparing the
effectiveness of manual brushes as opposed to electric brushes.
 Although
not all the electric brushes are the same, in conclusion of all these studies it
is fair to say that in general electric brushes are more effective in
controlling the plaque than manual brushes. Theoretically you could do a very
good brushing with a regular hand brush but the movements of an electric brush
makes the task easier and more efficient. Also, some electric brushes (Sonicare)
have sonic vibration that is difficult to mimic with a hand brush! Other
electric brushes like Oral-B and Rotadent have small heads that help you reach
hard to reach areas of your mouth. This aspect is more important when you are
talking about somebody with orthodontic braces or a history of gum disease.
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There are a few different causes for bad breath.
It ranges from stomach problems to diets and teeth problems. Most of the causes
can be found in the mouth, they are:
1- Tongue (when bacteria grows in between the
papilla) 2- Teeth cavities (especially when food particles get stuck in them) 3-
Gum diseases 4- Extraction sites during healing 5- Dentures when not cleaned
properly 6-Alcohol and tobacco
If you or someone you know
is concerned about bad breath, the first step is a dental check up. Your dentist
will be able to confirm or rule out teeth or mouth as the source of bad breath.
When the reason is found,
treatment will be explained by your dentist. If the source of the bad breath is
your mouth there is little chance that mouth washes or mints can treat the
problem. They usually mask the problem for a short period of time. They can even
sometimes make the situation worse (mouthwashes that contain alcohol cause dry
mouth and that usually makes the bad breath worse).
These are a few other,
non-dental reasons that cause bad breath:
1- Sore throat 2-
Tonsillitis 3- Some foods 4- Infection of air passages.
Following a good oral
hygiene routine and getting regular check ups with your dentist are best ways of
preventing bad breath.
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Sugar is the main cause of dental decay when
there is bacteria present. More important than the amount of sugar you take is
the frequency of it.
Probably the worst thing you can do to your
teeth is to hold a soda and have a sip every few minutes during a long period of
time; the same is true for snacking. It is recommended that if you want to have
a snack or a soda or juice it is better to have it after food, as dessert or
have it in one sitting. Eating or drinking something sweet during a long period
of time creates a constant supply of sugar for bacteria that cause tooth decay!
It is important to know all the sources of
sugar. It is not just everything that is sweet but anything that can turn to
sugar like pieces of bread. Cutting down your sugar intake is good for cavity
prevention as well as general health.
When you have to have sugar! The best way to
prevent cavities is to prevent the sugar from staying next to your teeth.
Brushing after eating sugar, rinsing your mouth with Fluoride mouth wash or
chewing sugarless gum can help. But nothing has the effect of avoiding sugar!
Is there any kind of food that prevents tooth
decay? Well, not really. Some people believed that chewing foods like apple and
carrots may have some plaque removal effect, but they still contain some sugar
so any advantage of them is not clear.
Another group of food that causes significant
damage to teeth structure is acidic foods. Things like lime, lemon and
grapefruit, if in frequent contact with teeth, can cause serious irreversible
damage (erosion) to your teeth.
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Many years ago scientists started to notice that
children who were born and raised in areas with natural fluoride in drinking
water had less cavities than children in other areas.
Fluoride that is absorbed by your body when
teeth were forming (during mother s pregnancy to early childhood) integrates
into the structure of enamel and makes it stronger.
After teeth eruption fluoride that is inside
your toothpaste or mouthwash, or what your dentist places on your teeth still
have a positive effect on your teeth. It strengthens the enamel and reduces the
chance of tooth decay.
If you have children and
live in an area that has no Fluoride in its drinking water you should consult
your dentist and physician about Fluoride tablets that are available for
children.
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