Preventive Dentistry

A Patient Guide to Good Oral Hygiene

A healthy smile begins with your dentist! Naturally, the best smile is a natural one. Just like your car, your smile needs regular maintenance to stay healthy your entire life. Some of the ways a smile stays happy is through basic cleaning and check-ups. Tooth decay is not always painful and only a regular check-up with X-rays can tell what lies below the surface of your teeth. A check-up at least every six months can keep your pearly whites in good health. Keeping a good smile also depends on you, defending your teeth on the home front. Each day your teeth are under attack by plaque which contains bacteria. This plaque, when left on oral surfaces, can cause infection of the gums and deterioration of the teeth. Since plaque is most active between the teeth it is most important to thoroughly brush at least two times daily. Regular flossing helps get into the tighter areas to remove plaque and has other health implications.

• Brush twice daily.
• Floss on a regular basis.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Have a check-up every 6 months.
• Ask your dentist about the proper technique for home care. 

Preventive Clean means Totally Clean

A greatly respected dentist recently made the statement, "I don't care if my patients clean their teeth with a lawn mower, as long as they clean them in a preventive way everyday. He was referring, of course, to the fact that preventive teeth cleaning and proper function will not lead to tooth decay and will not develop periodontal diseases (bone destroying pyorrhea.)

• On the cheek side
• On the tongue side
• On the biting surface
• Between the teeth
• In the crevice at the gumline

Regard preventive teeth cleaning , dentist often talk about the FBI cleansing technique referring to :

• Flossing properly
• Brushing thoroughly
• Irrigating completely

Notice that flossing heads the list. Therefore, though we talk about all three, let's start with proper flossing techniques. Floss will reach where

How to Brush

Brush after meals, using a soft brush and a fluoride tooth paste. Start at one place and work all the way around your mouth. Brush the front, back, and top of each tooth as shown below.

Hold the brush at a 45 Degree angle and gently brush the outer surfaces, using a circular or back-and-forth motion.

Then brush the inner surfaces of the back teeth using the same motion.

Turn the brush and use the tip to clean the inner surfaces of the upper and lower front teeth.

Clean the chewing surfaces using a scrubbing motion. Brush your tongue, then rinse well.

How to Floss

Floss at least once a day to remove plaque between the teeth and below the gums. Start at one place and work all the way around your mouth. Floss between each tooth as shown below.

Wrap 18 inches of floss around your middle fingers. Secure it with your index fingers and thumbs.

Ease the floss between your teeth. Press it against one side then the other, to form a C-shape.

Work the floss back and forth and up and down, going below the gum line where plaque collects.

Note : If you have a bridge or wear braces, use a floss threader to get the floss under the bridge or the wires.