Dr. Stelmach & Staff Make Regular Dental Home Care Easy and Enjoyable |
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All Good Things Begin at Home
Would you like to maintain your healthy, beautiful smile and prevent costly dental treatment in the future? Of course you would! Fortunately, a simple program of home care will do the job.
Your personal home care starts by eating balanced meals, reducing the number of sugary snacks and drinks you eat and cleaning your teeth. In terms of keeping your teeth clean, your main goal is to regularly remove from your teeth the icky, sticky, film of bacteria called plaque. You accomplish this in three simple steps – that you should perform at least twice a day for the best results.
1. Brush
Brush your teeth twice daily using a soft tooth brush Make the effort to brush for at least two minutes and make sure you’ve reached every tooth. Consider this a nice bit of ‘me’ time when you can zen out while doing something wonderful for yourself.
Gently vibrate the brush in a circular fashion at a 45 degree angle to the gum line. Then gently vibrate the brush back and forth on each tooth surface until you have effectively cleaned the entire mouth. You should also brush your tongue to remove the bacteria that causes bad breath.
Notice that word: gently. Surprisingly, many people scrub their teeth with too much vigor, and while we appreciate the enthusiasm, this can lead to such issues as receding gums and sensitive teeth.
Best to use any soft bristled, ADA approved tooth brush. We also recommend the use of modern electric tooth brushes such as Sonicare and Braun.
2. Floss
Floss daily to remove plaque between teeth that you can’t reach with regular brushing. If your gums bleed slightly when you do so, that should stop as your gums become healthier and tighter next to your teeth.
Wrap 12″ to 18″ of dental floss around the middle finger of each hand. Pull the floss tightly, then use your thumb and forefingers to slide the floss gently between each set of teeth. Curve the floss around each tooth and move it up and down along the tooth, going as low as you comfortably can to get under the gum line. Use a fresh section of floss for each tooth until you have flossed the entire mouth.
You can also use newer flossing tools designed to make flossing more convenient and tailored to your needs. Explore such options as a dental floss holder or one-use dental floss pics – a handy combination of dental floss, floss holder and toothpick. These have been designed for on-the-go convenience (try keeping a bag of these in your office and car!) as well as for making it easier to reach difficult, often-neglected back molars. You’ll also find floss options that include fluoride, have fresh flavors, and floss that’s designed for tight teeth.
3. Rinse
Here’s another step busy people tend to forget: always rinse thoroughly with water after brushing, and after meals if you are unable to brush right away.
Let Dr. Stelmach or one of our excellent hygienists know if you are using an over-the-counter product for rinsing. We’ll make certain it’s the correct product for your unique needs.
A word about rinsing with mouthwash: it’s acceptable for occasional uses, however be aware of recent studies indicating the over-use of mouthwash in an otherwise healthy mouth can change the normal biological activity of the mouth, leading to dried tissues and other problems.
Other Dental Aides
Ask us about other tools that might be right for you. These include inter-dental brushes, rubber tip stimulators, tongue cleaners, irrigation devices, fluoride, medicated rinses, etc. can all play a role in good dental home care.