FAQs
But what is oral health?
First of all, the word "oral" refers to the mouth, which includes not only the teeth and gums and their supportive tissues, but also the roof and the floor of the mouth (the hard and soft palate), the tongue, the lining of the mouth and the throat (called the mucosa), the lips, the salivary glands, the upper and lower jaws, and the chewing muscles. Oral health also involves the branches of the nervous system, the immune system and the vascular system (blood vessels) that serve this part of your body.
So consequently, oral health means more than just being free from cavities and gum disease. Oral health, the report states, means overall health in the tissues that "allow us to speak and smile; sigh and kiss; smell, taste, touch, chew and swallow; cry out in pain; and convey a world of feelings and emotions through facial expressions."
Our team is prepared to answer all questions pertaining to your dental health and appearance.
Why is oral hygiene so important?
Adults over 35 lose more teeth to gum (periodontal) disease than from cavities. Three out of four adults are affected at some time in their life. The best way to prevent cavities and periodontal disease is by good tooth brushing and flossing techniques, performed daily and regular hygiene maintenance visits at your dental office.
Periodontal disease and decay are both caused by bacterial plaque (biofilm). Plaque is a colorless film, which sticks to your teeth at the gum line. Plaque constantly forms on your teeth. By thorough daily brushing and flossing you can remove these germs and help prevent periodontal disease. Your dental hygienist will remove the plaque and/or calculus at your hygiene maintenance visits.
Daily brushing and flossing will keep dental calculus to a minimum, but a professional hygiene maintenance visit will remove calculus in places your toothbrush and floss have missed. Your visit to our office is an important part of your program to prevent gum disease. Keep your teeth for your lifetime.
Brushing
While brushing the outside surfaces of your teeth, position the brush at a 45-degree angle where your gums and teeth meet. Gently move the brush in a circular motion several times using small, gentle strokes. Use light pressure while putting the bristles between the teeth, but not so much pressure that you feel any discomfort. Brush towards the biting surface to sweep off the plaque you have dislodged with the circular motion.
When you are done cleaning the outside surfaces of all your teeth, follow the same directions while cleaning the inside of the back teeth.
To clean the inside surfaces of the upper and lower front teeth, hold the brush vertically. Make several gentle back-and-forth strokes over each tooth. Don't forget to gently brush the surrounding gum tissue.
Periodontal Maintenance
Periodontal diseases are infections of the gums, which gradually destroy the support of your natural teeth. There are numerous disease entities requiring different treatment approaches. Dental plaque (biofilm) is the primary cause of gum disease in genetically susceptible individuals. Daily brushing and flossing will prevent most periodontal conditions.
Why is oral hygiene so important?
Adults over 35 lose more teeth to gum (periodontal) disease than from cavities. Three out of four adults are affected at some time in their life. The best way to prevent cavities and periodontal disease is by good tooth brushing and flossing techniques, performed daily and regular hygiene maintenance visits.
Periodontal disease is caused by bacterial plaque. Plaque is a colorless film, which sticks to your teeth at the gum line. Plaque constantly forms on your teeth. By thorough daily brushing and flossing you can remove these germs and help prevent periodontal disease.
Periodontal diseases can be accelerated by a number of different factors. However, it is mainly caused by the bacteria found in dental plaque, a sticky colorless film that constantly forms on your teeth. If not carefully removed by daily brushing and flossing, plaque hardens into a rough, porous substance known as calculus (or tartar).
Periodontal Disease
Bacteria found in plaque produces toxins or poisons that irritate the gums, which may cause them to turn red, swell and bleed easily. If this irritation is prolonged, the gums separate from the teeth, causing pockets (spaces) to form. As periodontal diseases progress, the supporting gum tissue and bone that holds teeth in place deteriorate. If left untreated, this leads to tooth loss.
Preventing Gum Disease
The best way to prevent gum disease is effective daily brushing and flossing as well as regular professional examination. Unfortunately, even with the most diligent home dental care, people still can develop some form of periodontal disease. Once this disease starts, professional intervention is necessary to prevent its progress.
Oral Hygiene Products
There are so many products on the market it can become confusing and choosing between all the products can be difficult. Here are some suggestions for choosing dental care products that will work for most patients.
We recommend sonic toothbrushes that are safe and effective for the majority of the patients. We see excellent results with the sonic toothbrushes: Sonic Complete by Oral B and Sonicare by Philips. Oral irrigators (water spraying devices) will rinse your mouth but you still need to brush and floss in conjunction with the irrigator.
A rubber tip may be used to massage the gums after brushing. There are also tiny brushes (interproximal toothbrushes) that clean between your teeth. If these are used improperly you could injure the gums, so discuss proper use with your doctor.
Fluoride toothpastes (ex: Fluoridex, Prevident 5000) and fluoride rinses (ex: CariFree, ACT, PhosFluor) if used in conjunction with brushing and flossing can reduce tooth decay as much as 40%. Remember, these rinses are not recommended for children under six years of age. Tartar control toothpastes will reduce tartar above the gum line, but gum disease starts below the gum line so these products have not been proven to reduce the early stage of gum disease.
Anti-plaque rinses (ex: Listerine), approved by the American Dental Association, contain agents that may help bring early gum disease under control. Use these in conjunction with brushing and flossing.
Drinks have emerged as one of the most significant sources of acid.
Drinks such as regular soda, diet soda, sports drinks, canned iced tea and lemonades can lead to extensive tooth decay and enamel destruction because of the low pH or acidity of the drinks.
Enamel is the hardest substance in the body but it is susceptible to breakdown from acids found in soda/drinks. The more acidic the drink (the lower its pH), the more rapid the enamel destruction. Tooth enamel dissolves below 5.5.
It is important to note that exposed root surfaces de-mineralize twice as fast as that of enamel.
Soda/drinks may contain carbonic, phosphoric, malic, citric and tartaric acids and therefore have an acidic pH. Drinks that contain artificial sweeteners still pose a significant threat because of their acidic content.
| Acid (pH) Low=Bad |
| Water |
7.00 (neutral) |
| Brewed Black Coffee |
6.25 |
| Brewed Black Tea |
5.36 |
| A&W Root Beer |
4.80 |
| Diet Sprite |
3.34 |
| Sprite |
3.27 |
| Diet Dew |
3.27 |
| Diet Coke |
3.22 |
| Mountain Dew |
3.14 |
| Gatorade |
2.95 |
| Canada Dry Ginger Ale |
2.94 |
| Diet Pepsi |
2.94 |
| Arizona Iced Tea |
2.94 |
| HI Punch |
2.82 |
| Coke |
2.48 |
| Pepsi |
2.46 |
There are other areas of the body which are affected:
- The phosphoric acid in beverages leaches calcium from bones, promoting osteoporosis.
- The intake of excess calories from soda is contributing to the obesity/diabetes epidemic that is occurring in children/teenagers today.
- The best things to drink are WATER, MILK and 100% FRUIT JUICE, with the understanding that even milk and juice have sugar that can lead to decay.
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