How to keep your teeth and gums healthy

As a former military dental hygienist and civilian dental assistant, I believe I can offer a good viewpoint on maintaining oral health. Good oral hygiene is important to overall physical health.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A soft bristle toothbrush or an electric/ultrasonic toothbrush such as the Sonicare
• Floss
• Toothpaste with fluoride
• Timer (or timed electric brush)

1. Warm tap water to slightly warm. I've found that plaque is removed from the teeth better with warm water, for some reason. Wet your toothbrush and apply toothpaste. You should always use toothpaste with fluoride in it. Fluoride is safe, despite arguments to the contrary. It is the number one tool you can use to fight tooth decay. Brush for a minimum of two minutes, twice a day. I actually prefer to brush four minutes in the morning with my Sonicare (two cycles) as I don't feel like the two minute cycle is long enough. For night brushing I just do one two-minute cycle.

2. After brushing, rinse well with warm water.

3. Floss. The proper way to floss is to push the floss up and and along each side of the tooth. Many people use a back and forth sawing motion, but this is not the correct way to floss. Extend the floss up the side of the tooth until it is at the margin where the gums (gingiva) attaches to the tooth. Do this all around. I like to floss while I watch TV! =)

4. Rinse with mouthwash. If you have composite fillings, you may want to use an acid-free mouthwash as some acidic mouthwashes can slowly erode some types of composite fillings. Your dentist or hygienist can recommend a good one.

5. Visit your hygienist once every six months for a cleaning and check-up!

Tips & Warnings

• Use toothpaste with fluoride. Some "environmental" toothpastes do not contain fluoride, but it is best to use fluoride toothpaste to prevent cavities
• I like waxed floss the best
• Use only soft bristle brushes and don't press too hard! Remember, thorough brushing, not vigorous brushing, is the key to good oral hygiene.

[laughstoomuch]

on 6/25/2008 Ok, I'm not a member on here, so if you could reply on this that would be verey helpful.

See, I have a problem, even if I did do all of the follolwing, my teeth would still be bad. I didn't do anyting to them, just i have a small jaw so my teeth are crunched up. I know I need braces, and my question might be stupid but i'll give it a go: do I HAVE to get braces?

Please reply.

[amylaine]

on 4/28/2008 Great info.