Oral Hygiene

Maintaining good oral hygiene is one of the most important things you can do for your teeth and gums. Healthy teeth not only enable you to look and feel good, they make it possible to eat and speak properly. Good oral health is important to your overall well-being.

Good oral hygiene results in a mouth that looks and smells healthy. This means:

• Your teeth are clean and free of debris
• Gums are pink and do not hurt or bleed when you brush or floss
• Bad breath is not a constant problem

Daily preventive care, including proper brushing and flossing, will help stop problems before they develop and is much less painful, expensive, and worrisome than treating conditions that have been allowed to progress.

Your North Country Dental dentist or hygienist will help you learn good oral hygiene techniques and can help point out areas of your mouth that may require extra attention during brushing and flossing. Between regular visits to the dentist, there are simple steps that each of us can take to greatly decrease the risk of developing tooth decay, gum disease and other dental problems. 

• Brush and floss thoroughly two to three times each day.
• Eat a well balanced diet and limit snacks between meals.
• Use dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste.
• Rinse with a fluoride mouth rinse if your dentist tells you to.
• Make sure that your children under 12 drink fluoridated water or take a fluoride supplement if they live in a non-fluoridated area.

There are several conditions which may indicate a problem with your teeth. If you experience any of these symptoms between visits, call North Country Dental for further assistance:

• Your gums hurt or bleed while brushing. 
• Your gums hurt or bleed while flossing. 
• You are experiencing persistent bad breath. 

What Is the Right Way to Brush?

Proper brushing takes at least two minutes — that's right, 120 seconds! Most adults do not come close to brushing that long. To get a feel for the time involved, try using a stopwatch. To properly brush your teeth, use short, circular strokes, paying extra attention to the gum-line, hard-to-reach back teeth, and areas around fillings, crowns or other restoration. 

Concentrate on thoroughly cleaning each section as follows:

• Clean the inner surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth.
• Clean the chewing surfaces.
• For fresher breath, be sure to brush your tongue too.

What Is the Right Way to Floss?

Proper flossing removes plaque and food particles in places where a toothbrush cannot easily reach — under the gum-line and between your teeth. Because plaque build-up causes tooth decay and gum disease, daily flossing is highly recommended.

To receive maximum benefits from flossing, use the following proper technique:

• Starting with about 18 inches of floss, wind most of the floss around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work with.
• Holding the floss tautly between your thumbs and index fingers, slide it gently up-and-down between your teeth.
• Gently curve the floss around the base of each tooth, making sure you go beneath the gum-line. Never snap or force the floss, as this may cut or bruise delicate gum tissue.
• Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.
• To remove the floss, use the same back-and-forth motion to bring the floss up and away from the teeth.

There are two types of floss from which to choose:

• Nylon (or multifilament) floss
• PTFE (monofilament) floss

Nylon floss is available waxed and unwaxed, and in a variety of flavors. Because this type of floss is composed of many strands of nylon, it may sometimes tear or shred, especially between teeth with tight contact points. While more expensive, single filament (PTFE) floss slides easily between teeth, even those with tight spaces between teeth, and is virtually shred-resistant. When used properly, both types of floss are excellent at removing plaque and debris.