Dental Hygiene

When you take care of your teeth, they will last a lifetime. Brushing, flossing on a daily basis and visiting your dental office twice (or more) a year will ensure that your overall oral health is at its optimum shape.

Brushing with a soft bristle brush, using fluoride toothpaste and doing it at least twice a day is a great start. Tooth brushing instructions include brushing your teeth at a 45-degree angle and making circles.

Just imagine your mouth as a map. You want to go from tooth to tooth circling; brush on, brush off. Be sure to go to the very back of your molar to get to the deepest darkest crevice. Singing your ABCs or Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star twice is just the right timing.

Flossing is in itself a very important part of dental hygiene. You can floss whenever you want, as long as you do it. Most of the time, flossing is down before or after your toothbrush routine.

Getting between what your brush cannot ensure that all debris is clear and plaque will not have the opportunity of becoming calculus. If you floss forward and backward of the tooth in front to the tooth in the back of each space, you will be able to cover your whole mouth in no time. Just don’t forget your back molars. That last tooth is the hardest and most forgotten tooth in flossing.

If we can just start with brushing and flossing on a regular basis, you will have the battle won. Let us be part of the team to defeat dental disease. The best way to find out what’s going on in your mouth is to make an appointment and visit our office.

If you have any questions or need to make your appointment, please feel free to contact our office by telephone (323) 336-8478 or email us at smiles@dentistlosangeles.com

What’s the best time to brush?

The best time to brush is normally right after breakfast and before you go to bed. However, if you eat sugary, sticky food or drink sweet coffee, tea, sodas, wine, or smoke during the day, then after lunch would be better, though it means bringing your teeth-cleaning kit to work.

Using a mouthwash that is more than a breath freshener will also help, such as over-the-counter ones with the ingredient cetyl pyridinium, or ask your hygienist for a recommendation for your case.

Flossing

Only 40% of Americans floss at least the recommended once a day and 20% never floss. Flossing (which goes beyond the two minutes for brushing) needs to be done right to be effective and most people should have their hygienist demonstrate this.

The floss should be wrapped around the middle fingers of each hand, leaving a couple of inches free in between. Then using the index or pointing fingers to guide, place it at the gumline and pull it up and down against each of the teeth to scrape their sides.

Dental Pick

If you have crooked teeth or gaps where food may get stuck, you should use a small dental pick with bristles to clean these areas. Those who find flossing physically hard to do can use an electric water pick, which relies on water pressure to not only remove food particles but can provide helpful gum massage.

You lean over the sink and place the tip into your mouth with the lips closed and turn it on, aiming the tip just above the gum line as you move it around the mouth. You can pause briefly to allow water to flow into the sink.