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Good oral hygiene results in a mouth that looks and smells healthy. Maintaining good oral hygiene is one of the most important things you can do for your teeth and gums - not to mention your overall health, as well. Healthy teeth not only enable you to look and feel good, they make it possible to eat and speak properly. Good oral health is important to your overall well-being. How is Proper Oral Hygiene Maintained? It is important to maintain proper daily preventive care for good oral hygiene maintenance. Daily preventive care includes proper brushing and flossing. It will help stop problems before they develop and is much less painful, expensive, and worrisome than treating conditions that have been allowed to progress. Between regular dental visits, there are simple steps that each of us can take to greatly decrease the risk of developing tooth decay, gum disease and other dental problems. Some important preventive care includes:
* Brushing thoroughly twice a day and flossing daily
* Eating a well-balanced diet and limiting snacks between meals
* Using dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste
* Rinsing with a fluoride mouth rinse if your dentist tells you to How to Brush and Floss Properly Proper brushing should take at least two minutes, which most adults do not come close to. In order to get a feel for the time involved, try using a stopwatch. While brushing, use short, gentle strokes, paying extra attention to the gum line, hard-to-reach back teeth and areas around fillings, crowns or other restorations. Be sure to:
* Clean the outer surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth
* Clean the inner surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth
* Clean the chewing surfaces
* For fresher breath, be sure to brush your tongue, too Proper flossing removes plaque and food particles in places where a toothbrush cannot easily reach - under the gum line and between your teeth. Daily flossing is highly recommended because plaque build-up can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. To properly floss, use the following technique:
* With about 18 inches of floss, wind most of it around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work with
* Holding the floss tightly between your thumbs and index finders, slide it gently up-and-down between your teeth
* Gently curve the floss around the base of each tooth, making sure you go beneath the gum line. Never snap or force the floss, as this may cut or bruise delicate gum tissue
* Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth
* To remove the floss, use the same back-and-forth motion to bring the floss up and away from the teeth.
Don't be afraid to ask your Hamilton dentist for more information if you don't understand a treatment or procedure. Your dentist can help implement a proper oral health care regimen to keep your teeth healthy and sparkling all year.
Dr. Scot Rosen, dentist in Hamilton, is a solo practitioner. He started his practice in 1987 and offers the latest in dental advancements for his patients. Dr. Rosen offers an array of dental services and treatments including Hamilton teeth whitening, crowns and bridges, and an array of others.
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