The Journey Begins With Good Oral Hygiene Habits

The first writer in this blog journey is our hygienist, Emily. She’s here to give you tips for oral hygiene habits that will keep your smile at it’s best.

You don’t have to brush your teeth — just the ones you want to keep. – anonymous

Hi, All! I’m Emily LaPlante. I am a wife to a firefighter, mother of 2 wonderful children, and the hygiene coordinator at KDA. I want to help you establish good oral hygiene habits so that your dental hygiene visits are as positive and simple as possible. I love giving people good reports, so here are some of my favorite tips to help you get the “keep up the good work” from Dr. Kizer and Dr. Smith.

#1 Use a Sonicare.

Wet the brush, slap on some toothpaste, put it IN your mouth before turning it on (to avoid toothpaste being sprayed all over your bathroom), and let ‘er rip. Move slowly throughout your mouth. Use it for the FULL 2 MINUTES. The electric toothbrush holds you accountable to brushing long enough, is therapeutic for your gums, removes surface stains, and will do a more thorough job on a daily basis than the manual brush. BONUS: Buy your Sonicare in our office and get an online rebate and 2 years of warranty from the date of purchase!

#2 FLOSS.

Like REALLY floss. I prefer the good old fashion string type, but a lot of my patients love the floss picks. If that’s what you’ve got to use to get the job done, then go for it. Just be sure to take your time and try to hug each tooth every time you pop it between. We call it “C shaped” flossing- forming a C with the floss around each tooth. This will remove bacteria and plaque from the places that ONLY floss can reach. I should mention Waterpiks because they are fantastic additions to flossing and therapeutic for the gums. However, floss is the only thing that can physically break the contact between the teeth which is where a lot of the cavities will form… “Only floss the teeth you want to keep!”

#3 Keep up your 6 month cleaning appointments.

It’s clinically proven that 6 months is the average time it takes for tartar to buildup on your teeth- it requires a professional to “scrape” it off. The soft “fuzzy” feeling you get throughout the day is plaque buildup. Plaque can be removed with your toothbrush. When that plaque is not removed efficiently, it hardens into tartar. The tartar can only be removed by your dental hygienist. If it’s not removed in a timely manner, it will cause gum disease (e.g., bleeding, inflamed gums) which is the precursor to bone loss (e.g., losing your teeth down the road). Did you know that gum disease increases your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke!?! We also need to check for cavities every 6 months and do an oral cancer screening and x-rays once a year. Doing these things at 6 month increments makes everything easier. It allows for your comfort during cleanings (less tartar= less scraping) and smaller cavities (when we can catch them early, they’re easier to repair).

#4 Eat a balanced diet with limited sugar.

Sugar is what causes the pH in your mouth to get out of whack. It’s what feeds the bad bacteria in your mouth, causing tooth decay. Sugar is SNEAKY. It is found in so many foods today—the obvious ones being candy, soft drinks, and juice. The sugar alcohols that destroy the teeth are found in lots of other foods that we consume on a daily basis like chips, “healthy” snack bars, and sports drinks to name a few. These don’t really scream “sugar overload” but they’re sitting on your teeth long after the snack is gone and feeding the bacteria throughout the day which eventually leads to decay. Here is one theory about sugar consumption and your dental health that I think is VERY important to keep in mind: say you have a delicious bag of peanut M&M’s (Dr. K’s favorite FYI). It is better for your dental health to eat this entire bag in one sitting, than snack on it piece by piece throughout the day. If you eat it all quickly, that’s less time for your teeth to undergo the sugar attack, as opposed to popping a couple pieces here and there throughout the day giving your teeth little sugar attacks over and over again. NOW I WANT SOME PEANUT M&M’S.

#5 Drink lots of tap water.

Memphis tap water contains fluoride. Fluoride is an important vitamin for your teeth. It helps to strengthen enamel and prevent decay. Water is also a wonderful way to rinse away food. Drinking a glass of water after meals cleanses foods from the teeth and actually balances out the pH in your mouth. It is also really important to drink water if you have dry mouth at all. If you lack saliva, you tend to be more cavity prone. Your saliva works as a neutralizer. If you don’t have enough saliva, the pH gets more acidic, and you will get more decay. Fluoridated water will help to prevent decay by strengthening the enamel.

Having a healthy mouth saves you money, encourages good overall health, and gives you a big beautiful SMILE! Start good habits today to have a healthy smile tomorrow!