Dental tips-

Dental tips, finer points, excerpted from Bottom Line secrets, eHow and a few other Internet sites.  How to have really great dental hygiene–

Daily flossing, brushing and the use of mouthwash help, but they don’t eliminate gum disease. That’s because these methods don’t reach the microorganisms that collect beneath the gums.

To improve your dental regimen, do the following…

1: Use a power brush. A manual toothbrush with soft, rounded bristles removes most surface plaque, but ultrasonic toothbrushes are more effective. They pulsate about 31,000 times a minute, generating waves of fluid that remove plaque from the microscopic pits found in the teeth. Brush with a power brush two to three times a day. My favorite: Sonicare, available at pharmacies.

In combination with flossing, daily power brushing greatly decreases the risk for systemic infection, which occurs when a break in gum tissue allows germs to enter the bloodstream. Important: Use nontoxic toothpastes and mouthwashes. If you read the labels on commercial products, you will find warnings, such as “do not swallow” or “in case of accidental misuse, contact a poison control center.” That is because these products can be toxic.

2. Toothpaste: Crest Pro-Health brand protects against cavities, gingivitis, plaque, tooth sensitivity, stains, tartar buildup and bad breath.  Why settle for a brand that does only some of these things?  Colgate puts out a new product called “Wisp.”  These are single use brushes that release their own gel, so do not need water.  They are handy to use when you are on the go and don’t have a brush available.  In a pack of 16 they cost about 45 cents each use at Wal-Mart, but you could buy quite a few for what it costs to fix one cavity.

3. Tooth brushes:  Buy a new toothbrush every 3 or 4 months. Bacteria can grow on toothbrushes, and the bristles wear down and become ineffective.

4. Flossing:  Floss thoroughly, yet gently, at least once a day. If your teeth are close together, use flat dental tape, such as Glide, which is available at most pharmacies.

5. Tongue scraping/brushing:  Brush and/or Scrape your tongue to freshen your breath and remove bacteria. The large surface of the tongue harbors tremendous quantities of disease-causing organisms and inflammatory chemicals. Even if you floss and brush several times daily, microorganisms from the tongue can constantly reinfect gum tissue and increase risk for the systemic infection.

Tongue scrapers, sold in pharmacies, are inexpensive and available as plastic strips with serrated edges or as single?handled metal or plastic devices with a scraping edge at one end. Both types are equally effective. When scraping the tongue, reach as far back as possible. A few passes is usually enough. Perform once or twice daily. 

6: Water irrigation: Use a water pick to irrigate your gums. The narrow space (sulcus) between a tooth and surrounding gum tissue harbors up to 100 trillion microorganisms. Infection in the sulcular spaces generates enormous quantities of inflammatory chemicals, which should be removed daily to prevent chronic infection.

Home irrigation devices shoot water into the mouth and flush out accumulated buildup (cellular debris and infectious microorganisms) that brushing and flossing don’t reach. My favorite: Hydro Floss, 800?635?3594, http://www.hydrofloss.com.

7. Healthy eating: Eat healthy foods (like vegetables), and avoid foods containing sugar.  These prevent food elements harmful to teeth from entering your mouth. To build healthy teeth, also Eat foods high in calcium such as broccoli, sardines, milk and fortified orange juice.

8: Proxy brushes: Use a proxy brush to get between the teeth.  This goes beyond flossing.  These are made by Butler Gum or Placontrol (who also makes Plackers floss picks).

9.  A good friend of mine manages a dental office in Arlington.  I have designed a website for him.  Check it out at http://www.arlington-dental-center-of-jax.com.