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Phone: 989-773-3560

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Are You Being Tooth Tidy at Home?

Are You Being Tooth Tidy at Home?

Dental Services Mount Pleasant MI We all brush our teeth. And we all at least say we floss, although a lie detector may be in order on that one.

But are we actually doing a good job of home hygiene for our teeth?

Home hygiene is really the first line of defense against gum disease, cavities, tooth loss, and all of the other bad things you can think about with the dental world. And home hygiene is easy, albeit maybe not the most exciting thing in the world.

But healthy teeth start at home. So, here’s Dr. Egger’s take on what you should be doing for your home dental health care.

What is the proper way of brushing my teeth?

Twice daily is the proper amount for brushing your teeth, although you can do it three times if you want to keep your breath fresh for a meeting or something. Use a soft-bristled brush (bristles that are too stiff can damage your tooth enamel and make your gums recede) and use gentle pressure. You should brush for around two minutes. If you’ve been a cursory brusher two minutes can seem longer than binging the entire Breaking Bad series on Netflix. But two minutes is about right for you to hit all of the teeth thoroughly, and then the gums, roof of the mouth, and the tongue. If it helps, just go with 30 second per quarter.

Here’s the proper technique for brushing those chompers:

  1. Position your tooth brush at a 45-degree angle to the gums. Using small, circular strokes, gently brush the teeth while making sure that the bristles are also touching the gums. Use overlapping circles to cover all the tooth surfaces.
  2. When brushing, make sure the inner, outer, and biting surfaces of the teeth are included.
  3. Using the tip of the brush, clean the inner portion of your front teeth.
  4. It is important to brush the tongue as well to remove existing bacteria and to freshen up your breath. Hit the pockets on the sides of your tongue, too. And don’t miss the roof of your mouth.

Electric toothbrushes are great. In fact, the American Dental Association recently gave its Seal of Approval to a bunch of Oral-B Electric Toothbrushes. Use a toothpaste with flouride. Whitening toothpastes with fluoride do whiten teeth somewhat, although nothing like a professional whitening.

Here’s how to floss, just in case you’ve, uh, been a wee bit lax

You should floss between your teeth once daily. Flossing has two purposes. It removes food debris and plaque from between the teeth, and it stimulates the gums. There was some bogus study a couple years back that questioned the value of flossing, but those results are up for debate. Plus, what’s the worst thing that can happen by flossing? You keep your teeth and gums healthier, and your breath fresher. There is no downside.

Follow these steps to properly floss your teeth:

  1. Use a piece around 18 inches long. Wrap the thread around your middle fingers and leave 2 inches of thread in between your fingers.
  2. Use your thumbs and forefingers to gently insert the floss in between each tooth and clean the area following a sawing motion.
  3. Hold the floss in a “C” shape on each tooth as well as under the gumline. Move the thread up and down to clean every side of the tooth.

Floss holders are fine. Flavored floss is fine. Just do floss…daily.

Now you have no excuse to pay more attention to the condition of the Red Wings farm system than the home hygiene of your teeth. Take care of them and they’ll take care of you. Can you say that for the second line goalie of the Griffins?

Is it time for your next professional exam and cleaning? Call Dr. Egger at (989) 773-3560 to schedule your appointment.