Oral Hygiene

Proper care of your mouth leads to good oral hygiene, which impacts your career, your family life, your self confidence, your personality, and most importantly, your health. Whether you are age 13, 33, or 73, we encourage you to stay on top of and truly care about your oral hygiene.

The easiest way to avoid poor oral health? That’s right – simply brush and floss. This consistent effort to both clean the surfaces of your teeth and the gaps between your teeth helps prevent cavities and gum disease, also known as periodontal disease.

Healthy Brushing 

Our team recommends a soft or medium toothbrush for best results. You don’t ever need to brush too hard that you cause discomfort. That defeats the purpose and could actually do damage to your teeth and gums. Clean the outside of your teeth first, brushing ever so gently. The gentle brush allows the bristles to get between your teeth to force excess food out of those gaps. Then, move inside. Holding your brush vertically to easily get behind your teeth, continue the gentle brushing.

You should be sure to get the areas around your gums, too. Those areas can collect bacteria that doesn’t need to be there. As you brush, remember to change up the position of the toothbrush frequently. Doing this allows you to maximize the amount of space and the number of gaps you reach. Of course, rinse rinse rinse. If you don’t do that, the loosened plaque or food particles remain in your mouth.

READ MORE: Can overbrushing hurt my teeth?

If you're unsure which toothpaste to choose for brushing, you can check out our blog post on the topic: How to Pick the Best Toothpaste. As the post mentions, each individual has different dental hygiene needs, so our staff is happy to answer questions based on your unique situation.

Healthy Flossing

Flossing requires practice, patience, and persistence. We know it can be irritating to floss, but it is absolutely necessary. To begin, grab a piece of floss approximately 18 inches long and lightly wrap the floss around your two middle fingers. From there, gently insert the floss between the gaps of your teeth and work the floss back and forth. This loosens any particles stuck between your teeth and gets them out of the gap.

READ MORE: Back to the Basics - Oral Hygiene 101

Once you have flossed between each tooth, you have to rinse. Particles are loose and bleeding can be common, so rinsing helps alleviate both of those concerns. Be sure that you aren’t flossing too tough. Your gums should not hurt. If they do, you may be pinching your gum or applying too much pressure.

Avoiding Cavities

Cavities form in small holes and tiny openings between or on your teeth. Plaque buildup contributes greatly to the formation of cavities, and plaque exists when you are not consistently brushing and flossing your teeth. That’s why our team urges you to maintain good oral hygiene. Cavities are no fun.

How to Prevent Cavities  →

Avoiding Gum Disease

Periodontal disease causes detrimental oral health as well. Your gum health is a vital component of oral health because the gums hold and can impact your teeth. Our team works to prevent this disease, correct any concerns, and alleviate that pain. Often, periodontal disease results from one of these factors:

• Age 65 and older
• Genetics
• High volume of stress
• Medication
• Smoking and tobacco use
• Teeth grinding
• Poor nutrition