It Takes Time to Learn How to Floss and Brush Your Teeth

Our office offers the LANAP protocol. LANAP, is a laser assisted new attachment procedure, it can be used for younger patients with inflamed gums or small pockets. No anesthesia is required and the patient has all of their bacteria removed. As long as at home dental care is maintained, the patient may restore any pockets. For patients with more serious gum disease, LANAP will remove all gum disease bacteria and diseased tissue and bone. The patient will heal the best way a body can heal, with good home care following the procedure. With patients who have had LANAP, we will follow their home care progress.

Patients can have their teeth examined and cleaned. When it comes time for home care instructions, even though most patients are sitting in the dental chair, their minds are elsewhere. Since there is no cure for gum disease, patients are the only ones who can truly save their teeth. Having good dental hygiene is the best way to ward off any possible dental condition. Going to the dentist twice a year is important, but it cannot save your teeth from neglect at home. Your teeth are your responsibility to take care of, meaning you have to floss and brush correctly every day. 

You can protect your teeth by avoiding biting into apples, chewing ice, and hard nuts. Biting into Christmas bark has removed dental crowns and fillings for example. Patients should also avoid biting into hard candy, using your teeth to open items like soda cans, and cracking nuts with your teeth. Doing all of these activities can fracture your teeth and cause other damage long-term. 

By working with patients, I can show them how to brush and floss correctly, even though it can be difficult for some. It takes time for many adults to learn how to brush their teeth properly as many people do it their own way. Another important thing to note is that plastic flossers are mainly meant for use on the front teeth. As you move toward the back of your mouth, the plastic flossers are not at the right angle to properly remove plaque. If you are spending the time to take care of your teeth, you want to make sure you are taking the right steps. Most TV commercials involving models show them brushing or flossing their teeth incorrectly, so take advice from your dentist instead. 

It is now known that bacteria at and below the gum line can affect our overall body's health. Plaque can be described as a mass of bacteria that forms every day and will crystallize in 24 to 48 hours. Once the plaque has crystallized, only dental instruments are able to remove it. Manual flossing without the plastic stick is the best way to floss. It is the plaque around the necks between your teeth that the damage starts. You start at the gum line behind the last tooth in your mouth and you floss by sliding the floss along the side of your tooth, gently going down as far as you can. Move the floss to a clean area and SLIDE the floss down the side of the tooth in front. You floss all your teeth. Do the same thing on the opposite arch. When buying floss you don't want a thin CHEAP floss that breaks. When you choose a toothbrush, you want a soft toothbrush. PICK a side, brush BEHIND the last tooth in your mouth.

Place your toothbrush at the gum line and gently brush back and forth gently going all around the arch. Brush BEHIND the last tooth and then you brush the gum line where your tongue and palate are. Take a tongue cleaner or a teaspoon, turn the teaspoon so the round part is facing your palate. Go back as far as you can on your tongue without gagging and gently scrape forward and out of your mouth. You will see a slimy whitish mass of material. That is what was hiding in the nooks and crannies of your tongue. Scrape the other two sides. Rinse your mouth with warm salt water. Then gargle. Using a water irrigator afterward is optional. If there are patients with dexterity problems using a water irrigator may be the only way to flush out material. If there is someone who can assist patients who cannot floss themselves.

Our present and future health depends on how well we clean our teeth. Research has shown that correct flossing and brushing will control gum disease. As we age, being able to look in the mirror and seeing our front teeth is important. When Mrs. Obama was First Lady, she was trying to make us aware that we should pay attention to what we eat. Many people were upset. They said they wanted to eat what they wanted. We all have choices to make.

Patients don't have to go to the dentist or brush their teeth with a lick and a promise METHOD. Tiny particles of food rots and it smells and tastes bad. It makes us sick to our stomach.  The more your teeth and mouth are neglected, the cost of restorations will increase. And the damage to our blood vessels and organs is increasing. If you have children, make sure they are receiving proper dental care. Our office is sometimes surprised when we see the poor conditions of teeth of some teenagers and patients in their twenties. Removing disease and having a good dental care routine starts with you.