| Oral
Health How to
Brush Your Teeth
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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How to Floss Your Teeth
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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Electric Brush Versus
Manual Brushes
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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Bad Breath
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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Dental Health and Your
Diet
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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Fluoride and Decay
Prevention
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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