How’s your oral?

The top 5 reasons you’ll be able to answer, “Perfect!”

1. FLOSS

I know, I know, you hate this. Understandable. I hate it too, about as much as I hate putting away laundry. But, I still do it and here’s why. First, it decreases your risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Secondly, it prevents tooth loss. Ever heard the saying, “only floss the ones you want to keep?” Well, there’s a little pocket around each tooth your dentist or hygienist measures. Bacteria gets in there and produces acid, acid deteriorates your bone, bone holds your teeth in, you lose bone you lose your teeth.  Flossing is the first preventative step you need to take. Here’s a few products that will help.

1.Glide floss: as a hygienist, the biggest concern that deters people from flossing is that the floss breaks due to their teeth being too close together.  Glide Slides easily into tight contacts  and is shred resistant with a light coating of natural wax for improved grip. Try: Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Comfort Plus Mint Flavor Floss Twin Pack 80 M

2. Floss picks:  these are great for those with dexterity issues. If you have a difficult time getting your hands to the back of your mouth, or cannot wrap the floss around your fingers (arthritis is a common obstacle when it comes to this), then gives these a shot. Try:  Oral-B Glide 3d White Floss Picks Radiant Mint, 75 Count

3. Floss holders: If you need even more help these will help give you an extended reach to access those posterior teeth. Reach Access Flosser is very inexpensive and has replaceable heads that make it extremely convenient. Try: Reach Access Flosser (Colors May Vary)

2. BRUSH

Brushing your teeth is obvious, however, most people don’t realize there’s a method to the madness. First, you should be brushing at least twice a day, once in the morning, and once at night. Anything beyond this is just a bonus for you. Secondly, always use a soft toothbrush. Medium and hard toothbrushes will only damage your teeth over time and lead to little indentations in your teeth known as toothbrush abrasion. Lastly, make sure you are using a soft circular motion when brushing your teeth if using a manual toothbrush. I personally favor the Colgate Wave ZigZag Soft Full Toothbrushes – 4 Pack. It’s ergonomically friendly and contoured to reach posterior teeth more effectively.

Electric toothbrushes have been proven to be more effective than manual toothbrushes at removing plaque. Many of them come with timers which will ensure you are spending the full recommended two minutes to brush your teeth. Electric toothbrushes have different mechanisms of action so follow the manufacturers suggested usage. Again, I personally prefer the Philips Sonicare HX6731/02 Healthywhite Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush and recommend it to my patients. It’s a bit intense at first, but once adjusted, your mouth will never feel as clean as it does with this brush.

3. RINSE

Mouthwash will help kill the bacteria that is responsible for tooth decay and gum disease. Listerine and Crest Pro Health are two of the most common antibacterial mouthwashes. Listerine uses alcohol as it’s active ingredient. Crest Pro-Health Multiprotection Rinse-Clean Mint-50.7 oz, 1.5liter is alcohol free and it’s active ingredient is Cetylpyridinium chloride. It has a  pleasant flavor and lacks the intense burning sensation of Listerine caused by alcohol.

Fluoride is another great adjunctive treatment when considering the overall health of your mouth. Fluoride helps protect your teeth from decay and aids in sensitivity. Fluoride can be found in toothpaste as well as in a mouth rinse. Act mouth rinse is one of the most reputable fluoride mouth rinses available. ACT Restoring Anti Cavity Fluoride Mouthwash Spearmint, 33.8 Ounce Bottles (Pack of 3) is great for both children and adults.

4.Clean Your Tongue

Cleaning your tongue is also very important, the residual bacteria left on your tongue can lead to bad breath. You can either brush your tongue with your toothbrush or use a tongue scraper. You’ll be surprised at the amount of plaque like material that is removed from your tongue with a tongue scraper. Try Dr. Tung’s Tongue Cleaner, Stainless Steel (colors may vary) and you’ll be surprised to see what lingers on your tongue.

5. Waterpik

Another great adjunctive instrument that can be used at home is a WaterPik. The Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser (WP-660)
WaterPik will flush out any remaining bacteria left in the space between your gum and your tooth. You can add things such as grapefruit seed extract oil that works as an antibacterial agent in the mouth. The WaterPik will not replace flossing so if you think you can get away with this forget about it. A good analogy to consider is your car with chunks of mud on it. If you hose off your car, the big chunks of mud will dissipate, but you need to scrub it in order to remove the residual mud off exterior of your car. The same idea is applied when considering your mouth. The Waterpik will flush out food and debris (hose), and the floss will scrape off any plaque that is still stuck onto the tooth surface (scrub). If you want some added benefits, consider adding grapefruit seed extract oil to the liquid chamber of your Waterpik. For healthy gums, fresh breath and to eliminate harmful germs and bacteria, stir 1 to 5 drops Nutribiotic Gse Liquid Concentrate, 2 Fluid Ounce  into the reserve portion of your Waterpik. Only for adults and children over 6 years old.

By simply implementing these techniques into your daily health care routine you will improve your oral health and decrease your risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. So now is the time to make a change in improving your health, starting with your mouth. If you’re interested in more in depth information on your mouth Click Here!