Daily oral care is an important part of maintaining your healthy mouth, and turning around the health of your mouth if you have active decay or gum disease. Our mouths naturally have millions of bacteria in them, some of them being beneficial to our health and others that can damage. The best way to encourage the “good bacteria” to grow, it is important to remove the plaque from our teeth that forms through out the day. The bacteria in our plaque are the kind that causes damage and inflammation in our mouth, and can lead to general health problems as well.
For gum disease, if the plaque on our teeth is not removed twice daily, more damaging bacteria will be able to start moving in and creating gum inflammation. If your gums bleed or are sore when brushing and/or flossing, this indicates that the inflammation is already there and needs to be addressed. Many of our patients prefer using a Waterpik as an alternative to flossing, especially when they have pain with flossing, as it can be more comfortable and can get between your teeth easier. Our patients who have started using Waterpiks usually have significant improvement in their gum health during their next hygiene appointment.
We recommend that our patients brush twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Because we tend to produce less saliva at night, there is usually plaque build up when we wake in the morning. It is important to brush at night to remove any food particles, as well as plaque that has built up during the day from any sugary or acidic foods that have been eaten. It is important to floss or use your Waterpik once a day, ideally in the evening to help in removal of any food particles.
Both manual toothbrushes and electric toothbrushes can do a great job at maintaining the health of your teeth. We have found that patients have an easier time with electric tooth brushes, as it is easier to get enough brush strokes, and the electric toothbrushes have timers to make sure you are brushing long enough. It is easy to let your mind wander while brushing, so the electric tooth brushes can help with that as well!
At Dyras Dental, we recommend that patients brush twice a day for two minutes and floss or use a Waterpik once a day. If you have any questions about how you can improve your home care, call us today!
