The Oral Hygiene Routine You Should Have

The American Dental Association and many other health organizations have common recommendations for the oral hygiene routine you should have. A routine done daily and correctly is the best way to reduce your risk for tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath and oral health diseases. A cleaner mouth can even help improve your overall health and confidence.

Why Is Your Oral Health Important?

In the United States the most chronic diseases are tooth decay (cavities) and gum disease. Good oral health through a great oral hygiene routine can help prevent disease and decay of the teeth and gums that cause these high statistics:

• 92% of people have had tooth decay by the time they reach adulthood.
• 42% of children have tooth decay. More than 20% have untreated decay.
• 64.7 million American adults have gum disease. 8.3% of those have severe gum disease with tooth loss.
• More than 36 million Americans are toothless due to oral hygiene problems and health conditions.
• More than 120 million Americans have lost at least one tooth to decay.

Proper Brushing and Flossing

Don’t guess at what oral hygiene routine you should have. Start with these habits:

• Brushing: Make sure you buy a quality toothbrush that fits the size of your mouth comfortably. Brush your teeth at least twice a day (especially before bed), for at least 2 minutes at a time. Wet your toothbrush and use fluoride toothpaste (which helps prevent decay), making sure you scrub all tooth surfaces. Brush in all different directions, and brush at 45-degree angles at the gumline to clean away irritating plaque. Make sure you use a new toothbrush every 3 months or dispose of yours when it starts to become frayed.
• Flossing: Flossing is essential for every oral hygiene routine. Too many people skip it, which leaves about 40% of their tooth surfaces open to decay. Patients should floss 1-2 times a day, preferably after brushing. Get about 18 inches of new floss so you have several inches for every couple of teeth. Wind the floss around either your pointer or middle fingers on each hand, leaving 2-3 inches of space to use for flossing. Pull the floss tight and floss between each tooth, getting up into the gum line (triangle area of gum tissue between teeth). Scrape the teeth as you go to remove stuck-on plaque.
• Use mouthwash and fluoride treatments as needed. Mouthwash can kill mouth bacteria and freshen breath, while fluoride will strengthen the teeth and prevent decay.

Oral Hygiene Changes at Times

There are various periods of life that can cause you to see changes in your oral hygiene. Orthodontic treatment is one such time. A high number of patients with braces will have traditional metal braces, metal lingual braces or ceramic braces. All of these options have orthodontic appliances bonded to the teeth with wires that connect brackets. Orthodontics can work wonders for a smile. However, they can cause rapid tooth decay when patients don’t brush and floss enough.

Having braces can make it much harder to clean the teeth to prevent decay, especially right around brackets. Patients will want to avoid sodas, juices, and anything with citric acid or carbonation to prevent erosion around appliances. They should also change their oral hygiene routine somewhat. Instead of brushing twice a day, try brushing 3 times a day or after every meal. Use threadable floss to pass floss through the teeth so that you can floss the tooth surfaces that are often neglected with braces. Use a waterpik tool (a water blaster) to dislodge stuck food and a proxabrush (a tiny Christmas-tree like brush) to clean brackets. If you want to avoid all the cleaning hassle, ask us about transparent orthodontic aligners.

Pregnancy is also another period of time where your oral health can change. The pH of your mouth changes, which can cause more acidity in your saliva. This can lead to quicker tooth erosion and sudden cavities, when you don’t usually get them. Gum growths (called nodes) can grow between the teeth. If they grow large, have a dentist remove them. Just like with braces, you may want to add an extra cleaning into your oral hygiene routine during pregnancy.

Infant Oral Care

As soon as that first tooth pops through the gums, parents need to make sure they are brushing that tooth twice a day, just like their own. With infants, the teeth are small and delicate, and they can decay quite easy without proper care. For small infants that are starting to teeth, make sure you start the habit of wiping the gums with a clean, damp cloth after bottle feedings or nursing. This removes sugars from the milk that could cause decay when the teeth are starting to poke through.

If you go to your local store and walk down the toothbrush and toothpaste aisle, you’ll notice toothbrushes of different sizes. Get an infant brush for your baby, which will be smaller than yours. For the first few teeth, a gum brush will be more gentle. This is a small rubbery brush that you place on your finger and you use to gentle massage your baby’s delicate gums and tiny teeth. As your baby gets more baby teeth, switch to the infant brush, using a rice-sized amount of toothpaste.

See Your Dentist

No oral hygiene routine is complete without those biannual dental visits! The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that infants start to see the dentist between 12-18 months, or within 6 months of getting the first tooth. After that time, twice-a-year visits should start to happen, and should continue throughout life.

You should see the dentist a minimum of every 6 months, as recommended by the American Dental Association. These visits include comprehensive dental exams and dental cleanings. These services detect area of decay and disease so the proper measures can help prevent the progression of oral health problems. If you are due for your dental cleaning or exam, or you want to improve your oral hygiene routine, call Stonebrook Family Dental at (303) 872-7907!