Learn How to Brush Your Teeth the Right Way From a General Dentist

In our general dentist office, we help our patients to stay in good oral health by providing preventative care and educating patients on what they can do to stay healthy at home.  What you eat and drink can directly impact how healthy your teeth and gums are.  Your brushing and flossing habits also influence how healthy your mouth is, making it important to brush correctly.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that as long as they brush their teeth for at least two minutes, they will get a good clean.  This is partially true since brushing your teeth is better than not brushing at all.  However, how you brush your teeth is also important.  Here is what you need to know.

Start with the right tools.
If you are brushing with a hard toothbrush, you may be damaging your teeth.  A toothbrush with hard bristles can actually strip away enamel from your teeth.  This can make them feel sensitive both now and in the future.  A hard toothbrush, or brushing too aggressively, can also make your gums sensitive or cause them to bleed.  Throw it away and buy a soft toothbrush instead.  If you brush properly, you can get just as good of a clean without causing irritation.

As a general dentist, we also suggest that you try an electronic or battery operated toothbrush.  The bristles will move automatically, and you will get a more thorough clean as a result.  Regardless of which type of toothbrush you use, make sure to replace it every three months.  This way the bristles won’t fray, and you will consistently get a good clean.  If your brush is electric, simply replace the brush head.

Your toothpaste is also important.  Use toothpaste that is recommended by the American Dental Association.  Just look for the ADA seal on the bottle.  If you use toothpaste that contains fluoride, you can strengthen and protect your teeth.  They also make toothpaste for sensitive teeth that you can try.

Motion matters.
When you brush your teeth make sure that you move the brush in a circular pattern instead of moving it from the front to back.  This will help your teeth to stay cleaner while also preventing gum irritation.  It’s important to remember that you want to keep bacteria and plaque off of your gums.  When you brush, move everything away from your gums.  You can do this by starting at the gum line so if you are brushing your top teeth, brush downwards.  If you are brushing your bottom teeth, brush upwards.  Make sure that you apply even and gentle pressure, instead of brushing too aggressively.

In addition to brushing your teeth, make sure to floss on a daily basis so that food particles and bacteria can be removed from in between your teeth.  You can also use an antiseptic mouthwash to kill any remaining germs.  Make sure to visit our general dentist office at least twice a year so that we can clean your teeth and remove anything that you were unable to get by brushing and flossing at home. 

A Family Dentist Review of How Oral Health Impacts a Students' Academic Performance

As a family dentist, we treat children and teens that suffer from poor oral health along with those that are trying to stay healthy.  The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC conducted research where they studied the impact of dental diseases and how it affected the academic performance of 1,495 disadvantaged elementary and high school students from Los Angeles County public schools. The study took into account the academic achievement and attendance data provided by the school district and linked these to each child's oral health issues.  They then examined the impact it had on the child’s or parent’s school or work absences. The study found that students with toothaches were almost four times more likely to have a low-grade point average.

About 11% of students who did not have access to dental care missed school in comparison to 4% of those who did have access. For every 100 elementary children, fifty-eight hours of school are missed annually and for every 100 high school students, 80 hours of school are missed annually due to oral health problems. Even the parents of the children who were surveyed averaged 2.5 absent days from work each year because of their children's dental problems. Oral health does affect students' academic performance and is now considered an epidemic. There are however preventative measures parents can take to prevent their kids from suffering from painful dental infections and missing school.

As a family dentist, we teach children and parents how to practice good oral health care at home so that cavities and gum disease can be prevented.  As long as parents implement a daily routine at home, kids can keep their teeth and gums healthy.  We also recommend visiting our office for regular checkups, which will reduce the amount of health problems kids have overall and prevent them from unnecessarily missing school. Preventative dental care is the key in keeping children and teenagers healthy and in school, and simple steps such as brushing and flossing daily can help to accomplish this.

It should be noted that everyone should brush and floss correctly and thoroughly, brushing at least twice a day if not after every meal and flossing at least once a day. Doing this removes plaque, which can turn the sugars found in most foods and drinks into acids that lead to decay, cavities, gingivitis and other dental diseases. Another simple step that could help is using a toothpaste or mouthwash with fluoride in them since fluoride is what protects teeth from decay. If a stronger concentration of fluoride is needed, we can prescribe fluoride in the form of a gel, toothpaste or rinse.

Eating a balanced diet is also key in keeping with good oral hygiene and parents limiting the amount of snacks their children eat, particularly those high in simple sugars, is extremely beneficial to combating tooth decay. Healthy foods like dairy products and green leafy vegetables can actually help to strengthen teeth.

Even if your child visits our family dentist office regularly, children still need to have good habits at home. Parents should examine their child’s mouth weekly to look for changes that might be of concern, for example, swollen gums, discolored teeth, sores or lesions on or around the gums and chipped teeth. If anything looks out of place, schedule an appointment with our office right away.