Learn How to Properly Brush Your Teeth from a General Dentist

In our general dentist office, we treat patients of all ages and show both kids and adults how to brush their teeth correctly.  If you only brush your teeth occasionally and try to rush through it, you probably aren’t getting the best clean.  While your intentions are good, if you don’t brush correctly you may be wasting your time.  Make the most of your efforts by changing your routine and incorporating these simple tips:

• Timing matters.  The faster you can get sugar off of your teeth, the better.  Carry a soft travel toothbrush with you and use it throughout the day.  As an added bonus, your teeth will be less likely to stain, and your breath will smell fresher without the need for gum. No matter what you should brush your teeth at least every night and every morning. 
• Use the right brush.  As a general dentist, we recommend that our patients use a soft toothbrush instead of a hard one.  This is important because a soft toothbrush will get your teeth clean, but it won’t strip the enamel off of your teeth or irritate your gums.  If you can use an electric brush that is even better.
• Keep it new.  The bristles on your toothbrush need to look new. Once they start to fray, you have kept it for too long.  We recommend buying a new brush every three months and if you have an electric one, switching out the brush heads.  This will help you to consistently get a good clean. 
• Toothpaste.  You should use toothpaste that contains fluoride because this is a mineral that will keep your teeth strong and help to prevent cavities. We recommend that children receive fluoride treatments when they visit our office, and this is one additional way to keep teeth healthy and strong in between teeth cleanings.  If your teeth are sensitive, you may want to use desensitizing toothpaste instead. 
• Brush in circles.  You should brush your teeth in a circular pattern that starts at the gum line and moves towards the center of your mouth.  This way bacteria, plaque and food, are pushed away from your gums. This is a far better way to brush then going from back to front, which can irritate your gums.
• Keep it clean.  Your toothbrush needs to stay clean and dry so that bacteria cannot develop on the brush itself.  Use a toothbrush holder so that it can air out throughout the day.  You can also put it in an empty dishwasher so that your brush can get cleaned and sterilized on a weekly basis.

When you visit our general dentist office, we will remove any plaque and bacteria that have been left behind from your daily brushing and flossing.  Working together we can help to prevent cavities and gum disease so that you can stay in excellent oral health.  Taking the time to do so will prevent you from experiencing discomfort down the road.

Tips for Treating Sensitive Teeth from Your General Dentist Office

If you have sensitive teeth, schedule an appointment with our general dentist office.  We can clean your teeth and remove any bacteria that may be irritating your gums and teeth.  Afterwards, we will examine them to determine if any cavities or infection are present.  Often, tooth sensitivity comes from having a cavity that makes it painful to bite down or eat your favorite ice cream dessert. Additionally, gum disease can create sensitive teeth because when your gums are infected they will be swollen and sensitive, overall.  If they are left untreated, the disease will cause your gums to recede, and part of your tooth and roots will be exposed.

If we identify any oral health issues during your dental exam, we will treat them right away.  Gum disease, for example, can be treated with a thorough deep cleaning and if that isn’t enough we can perform a gum graft to cover the exposed portion of the tooth and roots.  Likewise, a cavity can be treated, and if necessary we will perform a root canal to remove the infected area of the tooth and the infected root.  Afterwards, a dental crown will be used to protect the tooth.

When no infection is present, tooth sensitivity is typically caused by the loss of enamel.  This is something that can be treated in our general dentist office and at home.  When your teeth lose enamel, it can be painful because the enamel is what protects the actual tooth structure that is made of dentin.  Dentin is a porous material and the holes inside of it lead directly to the roots of your tooth.  That is why when the enamel wears away doing something as simple as drinking iced tea can lead to shooting pain.

Here are tips for reducing your tooth sensitivity:

• Brush with a soft toothbrush.  Switch out your hard toothbrush for a soft one.  If you can buy an electronic toothbrush – do so.  This is the best way to get a good clean without needing to brush your teeth aggressively. 
• Use desensitizing toothpaste.  It typically takes several applications to notice a difference but this type of toothpaste will block the sensation of pain from traveling through your tooth and to your nerves.  
• Fluoride treatments.  You can get a fluoride treatment at our general dentistry office, and this will help to strengthen your teeth.  Fluoride is a mineral and by placing it directly onto your teeth they will be strengthened.  This does not directly replace your enamel but provides good protection. 
• Bonding.  If teeth are especially sensitive, having a bonding procedure completed may be a good option.  This is where a tooth colored material is applied to the surface of your teeth in order to seal and protect the dentin. 
• Crowns.  Dental crowns are a cap that surrounds the tooth so if your sensitivity is not going away, you may want to consider wearing crowns.  This way nothing directly touches your tooth.  Instead, food, water, and air will touch the crown. 

To learn more about how you can protect your teeth and reduce sensitivity, visit our general dentistry office.

How Coffee and Gum Health Work Together: Previously Unknown Tips from the General Dentist

As a local general dentist office, we focus on finding ways to keep our patients in the best possible oral health.  This involves preventative care and ongoing education.  We are constantly reminding patients to brush and floss along with providing tips for which foods are good for teeth and which ones aren’t.   We also pay attention to new scientific research that can shed light on how to keep teeth and gums in better health.

Recently, the University of Boston released a study that found coffee can actually improve your gum health.  The study itself is interesting because researchers followed a group of one thousand men for thirty years in order to get the data.  This long-term study has given us information on how coffee can impact the health of teeth and gums in the near and distant future. Researchers found that men who drank one or more cup of coffee a day had fewer teeth with bone loss than those who did not.  Bone loss is a common symptom of gum disease, the absence of which indicates that coffee is good for overall gum health.  Men with stronger and more bone dense teeth were less likely to suffer from tooth loss as well, making it possible to preserve more of their natural teeth. 

Gum disease can ravage teeth and even cause them to fall out.  This disease can be prevented by brushing and flossing throughout the day along with regular teeth cleanings at our general dentist office.  Some people are more likely to get the disease, no matter what.  For example, diabetics and pregnant women suffer from restricted blood flow which can naturally cause the gums to swell and lead to gum disease.  Additionally, those who smoke or use chewing tobacco are also at a greater risk for the disease along with other oral health issues.  

The caffeine inside of coffee is likely what creates the immediate benefit to gums and teeth.  Caffeine is an anti-inflammatory and can prevent or reduce swelling in the gums.  This is excellent news for those that like to drink coffee along with those that need a natural way to reduce swelling.  Medication can be great, but it typically comes with other side effects and is expensive. Drinking coffee every day is an affordable way to prevent swollen gums and according to the research, has no negative side effects to oral health.

As a general dentist, we recommend drinking coffee as part of an overall oral hygiene routine.  It cannot replace anything but can augment it.  Brushing and flossing throughout the day is still important, and drinking water is more important than ever.  The body needs to stay hydrated in order to function and to produce saliva, a natural defense for the mouth.  Coffee can dehydrate you so if you add it to your routine, add an additional cup of water, as well.  Finally, don’t forget to have your teeth cleaned twice a year in order to prevent and detect early signs of gum disease.