Preventive Dentistry
One of the simplest dental hygiene exercises you can do for yourself is something you've heard before and it bears repeating: floss.
Every 24 hours, bacteria contribute to a new batch of plaque. Brushing, no matter how well done, will not get all the "bugs," especially between teeth and where tooth meets gum tissue. Flossing before or after brushing should be a part of everyone's oral health care program. The kind of floss, waxed, unwaxed, tape, doesn't matter. Just choose the product you're comfortable with, and use it.
Maybe you never quite got the hang of flossing, or are a little out of practice. Here's a quick refresher course.
- Wrap about 18 inches of floss around your fingers; give yourself about five to six taut inches to work with. If the floss frays or builds up with debris, re-loop the floss and keep at it.
- Try starting on the upper molars, way in the back; they're most difficult to reach. Follow the curve of enamel on every surface you can, three to four passes each.
- Where teeth meet, you may have to gently pull the floss to the gum line. Avoid sawing motions as that may damage soft tissue.
- Proceed from the back teeth to the center front. Then repeat the process on the other side.
- Rinse, and there you are.
If you find all this tedious or feel you're "all thumbs," a floss threader can help. Your dental hygienist can show you how to handle one. Just ask for help.
And remember, any amount of time you spend on plaque removal is time well spent for better dental health. The more time the better. If you have more questions or for more information, just call your dentist.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
Oral Health and Early Disease Detection
Most of your dentist's patients enjoy robust health, and he or she is thankful for that. In fact, if you are faithful about your "recall" appointments (regular check-ups) he or she probably sees you more often than your physician does. That means much more to him or her than finding a small cavity, or more than a chance to catch up on your comings and goings between visits.
As your primary dental health care provider, your dentist has a singular and weighty responsibility: early detection of disease. When he or she sizes up the health of your gums, tongue, neck, jaw, the mental check-list is long, he or she looks and feels. He or she "invisibly" observes your general health, head, skin, glands, sinuses (and teeth, of course).
What is your dentist looking for? Simply put, anything wrong. Among them: dry mouth, bacterial infections, any lesions on the mucous membranes, gum color and texture, soreness or ulcerations, you get the idea. It's important for you to share with your dentist any general health problems you may have noticed or changes in medications. He or she needs the whole picture.
Practicing preventive dentistry is very important. There are more than 200 known diseases of the oral cavity. Your dentist is on the look-out for all of them. Not only can an oral problem signal local trouble, but it may indicate something systemic, something throughout your body.
For this reason, your six-month recall visit may be the most important exam you have all year. If a cavity is found, that can be fixed. If evidence of something more serious is found, then you benefit from the advantage of early detection.
Your dentist and dental hygienist want all of their patients to take these exams seriously. A cavity or canker sore, after all, is one thing. Your whole health, quite another.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.