Home Dental Care and You

The average person needs to brush for two to three minutes to make sure they are doing it adequately. However the average person does not brush that long. Time yourself to see how long you are actually brushing and you may be surprised to see that you aren’t close to the time needed to do it adequately. Bring an egg timer in when brushing your teeth will help. Some electric brushes have built in timers that will help.

Brushing and flossing on a regular basis will help prevent dental decay and prevent bad breath. However you need to do it properly or you could be more susceptible to decay and bad breath.

Most people think you need to go in and just make the brush move, but when you brush side to side you can actually damage your teeth. You need to hold the brush at a 45-degree angel to the surface and brush in small circles. You need to focus on a few teeth at a time and then move on. You need to make sure you hit all surfaces of your teeth and your tongue.

One things that will help you brush better is to watch what you are doing. If you watch what you are doing you can make sure you are hitting all surfaces of your teeth.

Make sure you don’t brush too hard or floss with a sawing motion as it can be traumatic for your gums causing irritation and recession. Brushing to hard can also cause erosion of the teeth, which can lead to sensitivity and even more decay.

Make sure you are using the right materials. Make sure you are using a soft bristled brush. If it is a medium or hard brush it can again cause erosion of the teeth. In some cases an electric tooth brush may really benefit you. Talk to your dental care team to find out which may be the best one for you.

A water pik can also be beneficial to some people. Check with your dental care team and find out how to use it. Make sure you always use it on the lowest setting possible to prevent erosion of your teeth.

You also need to make sure you are using the proper toothpaste. A toothpaste is an abrasive. Some more abrasive than others so make sure you are the right one so it won’t damage your teeth.

You need to make sure you are flossing at least once a day. Make sure you are using a long enough piece of floss. Make sure you don’t saw while flossing to prevent your gums from becoming irritated. Make sure you are wrapping it around each tooth.

Make sure you rinse after you brush and floss. Rinsing several times through out the day will also help.

Ask your dental care team about any of the techniques or tools you need to help make your mouth as healthy as possible. Log on to our website at LevineDental.com to get more tips and information in our patient information section. Follow along on facebook and twitter as well! Join the conversation and spread the Word of Mouth!

Bad Breath and what you can do

Do you have bad halitosis? Halitosis is the fancy name for bad breath. If bad breath is ignored it can cause a major problem in one’s life.

Even if you don’t have bad breath, what people may not realize is that half of the adult population suffers from persistent bad breath. It can affect us in our personal lives at home and in our professional lives at work.

 

The big questions are why do we get bad breath, and what can we do about it?

Bad breath can be caused by a myriad of reasons including things you eat, your health but can be other things you would never consider

·         Foods à some foods such as garlic and onions. In fact garlic can form something called methyl sulfide cannot be digested. Instead it is passed through your blood stream to your lungs and skin.

·         Dry mouth à When your mouth is not moisturized it can lead to bad breath. This can happen due to medications, health and even right after exercising, we also produce less saliva when we sleep leading to dry mouth.

·         Germs à Germs that exist in our mouth can cause 90-95% of bad breath. The mixture of germs and protein cause bad breath through by producing a sulfur gas.

·         Health issues à People that have liver problems, kidney problems and diabetes tend to have more bad breath problems. The build-up of wastes in the blood leads to a metallic taste in the mouth that produces the odor. Acid reflux can also be a major contributor to bad breath.

There are many ways to prevent bad breath. Some of the most popular methods such as mouth wash with alcohol could actually make your breath worse so be sure to check labels and stay away from those with alcohol. In addition the Australian Dental Journal concluded there is sufficient evidence that mouthwashes with alcohol increase your risk of developing oral cancer. There are several rinses and mouthwashes without alcohol that may help, check with your dentist about these.

Chewing fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme and rosemary also helps prevent bad odors after a smelly meal. The chlorophyll in the leaves help neutralize.

Drinking more water can help keep you more moisturized and lessen bad breath

Eating cheeses like mozzarella can prevent bad breath since some dairy products help neutralize acidity.

Xylitol which is available in many gums and dental products can help lessen bacteria and helps keep your mouth more moisturized.

Of course brushing and flossing as taught by your dental health team and visiting them at least twice year will help tremendously.

 For more information about steps you can take to avoid and get rid of halitosis, log on to our website at LevineDental.com or our facebook page or subscribe to our YouTube channel. We're always happy to answer your questions at (414) 355-0213.