A beautiful, healthy smile that lasts a lifetime is our ultimate goal when treating patients.

Your personal home care with dental brushing and flossing plays an important role in achieving that goal. Your personal home care starts by eating balanced meals, reducing the number of snacks you eat, and correctly using the various dental aids that help control the plaque and bacteria that cause dental disease.

Why should you Properly Brush and Floss?

Brushing and flossing are of paramount importance to oral hygiene. Though bi-annual professional dental cleanings remove plaque, tartar and debris, excellent homecare methods are equally valuable. Proper brushing and flossing can enhance the health of the mouth, make the smile sparkle and prevent serious diseases.

Reasons why proper brushing and flossing are essential:

• Prevention of tooth decay– Tooth decay is one of the leading causes of tooth loss, and its treatment often requires complex dental procedures. Tooth decay occurs when the acids found in plaque erode the natural enamel found on the teeth. This phenomenon can easily be prevented by using proper home hygiene methods.
• Prevention of periodontal disease– Periodontal disease is a serious, progressive condition which can cause tooth loss, gum recession and jawbone recession. Periodontal disease is caused by the toxins found in plaque, and can lead to serious health problems in other parts of the body. Removing plaque and calculus (tartar) from the surface of the tooth using a toothbrush, and from the interdental areas using dental floss, is an excellent way to stave off periodontal problems.
• Prevention of halitosis– Bad breath or halitosis is usually caused by old food particles on or between the teeth. These food particles can be removed with regular brushing and flossing; leaving the mouth healthier, and breath smelling fresher.
• Prevention of staining– Staining or the yellowing of teeth can be caused by a wide variety of factors such as smoking, coffee and tea. The more regularly these staining agents are removed from the teeth using brushing and flossing techniques, the less likely it is that the stains will become permanent.

The Proper Way to Brush

The teeth should be brushed at least twice a day; ideally in the morning and before bed. The perfect toothbrush is small in size with soft, rounded-end bristles and no more than three months old. The head of the brush needs to be small enough to access all areas of the mouth, and the bristles should be soft enough so as not to cause undue damage to the gum tissue. There are approved electric toothbrushes whereby rotating or oscillating heads are more effective than other toothbrushes.

Here is a basic guide to proper brushing:

• Place the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle where the gums and teeth meet.
• Use small circular motions to gently brush the gumline and teeth. ensuring that you alwaysfeel the bristles on the gums.
• Do not scrub or apply too much pressure to the teeth, as this can damage the gums and tooth enamel.
• Brush every surface of every tooth, cheek-side, tongue-side, and chewing surfaces. Place special emphasis on the surfaces of the back teeth.
• Use the tip of the brush to clean the inside of the front teeth.
• Use back and forth strokes to brush the chewing surfaces.
• Brush the tongue to remove fungi, food, debris and bacteria to freshen your breath.
• Electric toothbrushes are also recommended. They are easy to use and can remove plaque efficiently. Simply place the bristles of the electric brush on your gums and teeth and allow the brush to do its job, several teeth at a time.

The Proper Way to Floss

Daily flossing is a great way to remove plaque from the interdental regions (between the teeth) and under the gum line. Flossing is an especially important tool for preventing periodontal disease and limiting the depth of the gum pockets. Flossing not only helps clean these spaces, it disrupts plaque colonies from building up, preventing damage to the gums, teeth, and bone.

The interdental regions are difficult to reach with a toothbrush and should be cleansed with dental floss on a daily basis. The flavour and type of floss are unimportant; choose floss that will be easy and pleasant to use.

Here is a basic guide to proper flossing:

• Take 30-40cm of dental floss and wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving about 5cm of floss between the hands.
• Using your thumbs and forefingers to guide the floss, gently insert the floss between teeth using a sawing motion.
• Work the floss gently between the teeth toward the gum line.
• Curve the floss in a U-shape around each individual tooth and carefully slide it beneath the gum line.
• Curve the floss into a “C” shape around each tooth and under the gum line. Gently move the floss up and down,.
• Carefully move the floss up and down several times to clean the side of each tooth and to remove interdental plaque and debris.
• Do not pop the floss in and out between the teeth as this will inflame and cut the gums.
• Floss holders are recommended if you have difficulty using conventional floss.

Rinsing

It is important to rinse your mouth with water after brushing, and also after meals if you are unable to brush. If you are using an over-the-counter product for rinsing, it’s a good idea to consult with your dentist or dental hygienist on its appropriateness for you.
Use other dental aids as recommended by your dentist or dental hygienist: Interdental brushes, rubber tip stimulators, tongue cleaners, irrigation devices, fluoride, medicated rinses, etc., can all play a role in good dental home care.

If you have any questions about the correct way to brush or floss, please ask your dentist or dental hygienist.