Oral Care for Your Healthy Mouth

How do you brush your teeth? No, really - how? I often ask patients this question and a common answer is â€Å"back and forth”. Many patients also believe that the harder they brush, the cleaner they can get their teeth.

The truth is, brushing too hard in the wrong way can damage your teeth, gums and bone. Scrubbing horizontally can create grooves in your teeth.

A healthy method to brush your teeth, gums and mouth are in little circles. This prevents the formation of grooves in your teeth and major forms of gums recession.

A Whole-Mouth Clean is as Easy

 You know the drill. You brush twice a day, you floss (some of the time), and you rinse--but occasionally you forget. You do many of the things you know are good for a healthy mouth. But you can do better! All it takes are small changes to your routine.

Here are a few simple things you can do to get a healthier mouth:

Replace your toothbrush every three or four months--sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won't do as good a job of cleaning your teeth. Keep a few extra toothbrushes, so you can easily swap the old for the new. Visit your dentist twice a year for professional cleanings and oral exams. The more you go, the healthier your mouth will be--and those visits will seem less daunting.

Maintain a healthy oral-care routine. Make it a goal this week to brush and rinse twice in one day, and floss once. That extra 30 seconds of swishing will make your mouth so clean and healthy; you'll love the feeling and do it again the next day.

 Beyond Brushing

So now you know to go circular with your brushing, it’s important to choose the proper toothbrush for your mouth (ask your dentist for recommendations) and good toothpaste. Doing these two things can chemically alter your mouth to resist the â€Å"bad” germs - in a good way! But brushing your teeth doesn’t mean your entire mouth is clean. There are approximately 3,000 species of bacteria (germs) in the mouth that can grow at the rate of 20 billion per hour.

The truth here is that brushing your teeth only accounts for 5 percent of the surface area of the mouth. So I advocate brushing your entire mouth. Here’s how to do it

 :

• Brush you front, back, sides, tops and bottoms of every tooth

• Brush your inside cheeks

• Brush your palate (roof of the mouth)

• Brush the top, sides and underneath the tongue

• Brush the floor of the mouth • Brush your inside lips

• Rinse with water

I times a day, brush 7 times a day. Now I realize it may not always be practical to brushing during school classes, business meetings, etc. So we previously discussed the 7-minute window.

 Rinsing with water within 7 minutes of food and drink helps to minimize acid destruction to your teeth and gums. Brushing is the best; rinsing with water is a healthy alternative. The mouth is the gateway to the rest of the body. The cleaner the mouth, the cleaner and healthier the body. It’s your choice.

Recommend brushing your mouth after every snack and meal you have during the day.

Your Mouth, the Gateway to Your Body

 To understand how the mouth can affect the body, it helps to understand what can go wrong in the first place. Bacteria that builds up on teeth make gums prone to infection. The immune system moves in to attack the infection and the gums become inflamed. The inflammation continues unless the infection is brought under control. Over time, inflammation and the chemicals it releases eat away at the gums and bone structure that hold teeth in place. The result is severe gum disease, known as periodontitis. Inflammation can also cause problems in the rest of the body.