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My Blog
Posts for tag: oral hygiene
Yes, you brush your teeth every day. But how much do you really know about this important habit? Test your knowledge with our quiz on dental vocabulary.
Choose the correct meaning for:
- Oral Hygiene
- Clean language
- The practice of keeping your teeth and gums clean
- A shade of lipstick
- A type of dental surgery
- Biofilm
- A movie about a person’s life, such as “Ray Charles”
- A new kind of cling wrap
- An accumulation of bacteria that forms a whitish, sticky film
- A tooth whitener
- Dental plaque
- A type of instrument used to clean teeth
- Bacteria that accumulate on teeth and gums
- An award given at the Dental Oscar ceremony
- Your dentist’s framed diploma
- Inflammation
- The body’s response to harmful bacteria
- A condition in which your gums become red and swollen and bleed easily
- A cause of gingivitis
- All of the above
- Periodontal disease
- Any disease caused by bacteria
- Tooth decay
- Whitish sores on the lips
- Gum disease caused by dental plaque
- Disclosants
- Simple dyes that can stain plaque and make it visible
- Television reality shows
- Dental x-rays
- A section of your annual tax report
- Gingivitis
- Any infection in the oral area
- Tooth decay
- Inflammation of the gums that can lead to periodontal disease
- All of the above
- Dental caries
- Gum disease
- A task carried out during your teeth cleaning
- A technique of orthodontia
- Tooth decay
- Fluoride
- A mineral that has been found to prevent tooth decay
- The location of a famous dental school
- A gasoline additive
- A type of house paint
- Inter-dental Area
- Referring to the area between your teeth
- The area regular proper flossing will keep clean
- Area that wood points and specially designed brushes can be used to clean
- All of the above
Answers: 1. b, 2. c, 3. b, 4. d, 5. d, 6. a, 7. c, 8. d, 9. a, 10. d
How did you do on our quiz? The more you know about keeping your teeth and gums clean and healthy, the better you will look and feel. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or to discuss your questions about oral hygiene. You can also learn more by reading the Dear Doctor article, “Oral Hygiene Behavior.”
Many recent high school graduates will soon begin their first year in college, and for many it will be their first time living away from home. But with the excitement of new freedom, there’s also the opportunity to make poor choices that could impact long-term health, especially teeth and gums.
Here, then, are 5 tips for keeping your teeth and gums healthy during the college years.
Watch what you eat and drink. At any stage of life, a nutritious, balanced diet low in sugar and high in fiber is vital to a healthy mouth. Snack moderately on fresh fruit, nuts or dairy foods, not sugary, processed products. Be sure also to drink plenty of water for hydration, not sodas or sports drinks whose high acid content can soften enamel and open the door to tooth decay.
Don’t abuse alcohol or use tobacco. Consuming too much alcohol can do more than leave you momentarily impaired — it can cause dry mouth, which contributes to tooth decay and increases your risk of oral cancer. Any form of tobacco can raise your risk for disease, especially oral cancer; high levels of nicotine may also inhibit your gum’s ability to fight infection, which increases your risk of periodontal (gum) disease.
Avoid oral piercings. Those tiny pieces of hardware attached to lips, tongue, gums or even through teeth may be all the rage, but they’re a recipe for immediate and future mouth problems. Oral piercings can lead to chipped teeth, gum recession and a higher chance of dental disease.
Practice safe sex. Certain sexual behaviors can raise your risk of contracting human papilloma virus (HPV16) that in turn increases your risk of oral cancer. You can also develop genital herpes in the mouth, which although manageable won’t go away.
Keep up your oral hygiene care. Taking care of your teeth and gums is a permanent, daily concern. Whatever your college schedule, be sure you’re brushing once or twice a day and flossing once. And don’t forget to visit us at least twice a year for a thorough cleaning (to get plaque you can’t reach with daily hygiene) and a checkup to keep dental disease under control.
If you would like more information on oral health care for young adults, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.
You know the basics of great oral hygiene: Brush and floss daily; see your dentist at least twice a year for cleanings and checkups; and watch your diet, especially sweets.
While these are the basics for maintaining healthy teeth and gums, there are a few lesser known things you can do to enhance your hygiene efforts. Here are 4 extra tips for better hygiene.
Use the right toothbrush. As the old saying goes, “There's a right tool for every job.” Brushing your teeth is no exception. Most people do well with a soft-bristled, multi-tufted toothbrush with a head small enough to maneuver easily in their mouth. Toothbrushes wear out, so switch to a new one every three to six months or if the bristles become too soft or worn.
…And the right brushing technique. Hard scrubbing might apply to housework, but not your teeth. Over-aggressive brushing can lead to gum recession. A gentle, sustained effort of about two minutes on all tooth surfaces is sufficient to remove plaque, the bacterial film most responsible for dental disease.
Wait a while to brush after eating. Before hopping up from the meal table to brush, consider this: eating many foods increases mouth acid that can erode your teeth enamel. Fortunately, your body has a solution — saliva, which neutralizes mouth acid and helps restore minerals to your enamel. But saliva takes thirty minutes to an hour to complete the buffering process. If you brush before then you could brush away miniscule amounts of softened minerals from your enamel. So wait about an hour to brush, especially after consuming acidic foods or beverages.
Drink plenty of water. Your mouth needs a constant, moist environment for optimal health. But smoking, alcohol and caffeine can cause dry mouth. Certain drugs, too, can have mouth dryness as a side effect. A dry mouth is more susceptible to plaque formation that can cause disease. To avoid this, be sure you drink plenty of water during the day, especially as you grow older.
If you would like more information on taking care of your teeth and gums, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “10 Tips for Daily Oral Care at Home.”
Cleaning your teeth daily is crucial to ensuring that teeth decay and gum disease stay far away from your smile. However, it is easy to fall into bad habits which could have a detrimental effect on your teeth. How do your daily oral hygiene habits measure up to your dentist’s recommendations? Will your routine help your teeth stay free from teeth decay and gum disease? Find out more about keeping your smile healthy with a strong oral care routine with Dr. Peter Jost in Eastpointe, MI.
Which habits should make up my daily oral care routine?
Your daily oral care routine is a crucial part of keeping bacteria, plaque, and tartar off the teeth. These elements cause teeth decay and, if removed from the teeth, prevent the decay process from ever beginning. If allowed to remain on the teeth, they begin eating through the enamel and forming a cavity. Daily oral health routines, regardless of the patient’s age and dental condition should consist of brushing twice a day and flossing between each tooth at least once. These daily tasks should always go hand-in-hand with routine dental examinations and professional cleanings with your dentist.
How often should I see my dentist?
Seeing your dentist is crucial to keeping your smile clean and healthy. If allowed to remain on the teeth, plaque, which you can remove with brushing and flossing, hardens into tartar, which can only be removed by the techniques used during a professional dental cleaning. The American Dental Association recommends seeing your dentist at least twice a year for examinations and cleanings. During these appointments, your dentist will have the opportunity to find and treat issues like cavities or gum disease early, with less invasive procedures than if they were more advanced. A professional cleaning also ensures that all evidence of plaque and tartar is gone from the teeth, allowing you a clean slate until your next biannual appointment.
Routine Examinations and Professional Cleanings in Eastpointe, MI
Your oral habits are an important facet of your overall oral health. For more information on keeping up with your oral hygiene or to learn more about routine dental examinations and cleanings, please contact Dr. Peter Jost in Eastpointe, MI. Call (586) 771-1460 to ask about your next examination and cleaning today!
The most important part of dental health maintenance isn’t what your dentist does—it’s what you do every day when you brush and floss your teeth. And all you really need is a multi-tufted, soft bristle toothbrush, toothpaste, a roll of dental floss—plus a little effort from your hands and fingers.
Of course, manual power isn’t your only option—an electric or battery-powered toothbrush is a convenient and, for people with strength or dexterity issues, a necessary way to remove disease-causing plaque from tooth surfaces. You have a similar option with flossing—a water flosser.
Although water flossers (or oral irrigators) have been around since the early 1960s, they’ve become more efficient and less expensive in recent years. A water flosser delivers a pulsating stream of pressurized water between the teeth through a handheld device that resembles a power toothbrush, but with a special tip. The water action loosens plaque and then flushes it away.
While the convenience these devices provide over traditional flossing is a major selling point, they’re also quite beneficial for people with special challenges keeping plaque from accumulating between teeth. People wearing braces or other orthodontic devices, for example, may find it much more difficult to effectively maneuver thread floss around their hardware. Water flossing can be an effective alternative.
But is water flossing a good method for removing between-teeth plaque? If performed properly, yes. A 2008 study, for example, reviewed orthodontic patients who used water flossing compared to those only brushing. The study found that those using water flossing were able to remove five times as much plaque as the non-flossing group.
If you’re considering water flossing over traditional flossing thread, talk with your dental hygienist. He or she can give you advice on purchasing a water flosser, as well as how to use the device for optimum performance. It could be a great and more convenient way to keep plaque from between your teeth and harming your dental health.
If you would like more information on water flossing, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Cleaning between Your Teeth: How Water Flossing can help.”
