As you know, your dentist recommends fluoride toothpaste because fluoride prevents cavities. Fluoride bonds with the calcium and phosphate ions in our tooth enamel, repairing weak spots. Even better, this new bond is stronger and more cavity-resistant than enamel alone.

When it comes to preventing gum disease as well as fighting cavities, though, not all fluoride formulas are the same. The common go-to ingredient in gum-healthy toothpastes is stannous fluoride. Like the more commonly used sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride reduces the risk of cavities and strengthens tooth enamel.

Whitening Toothpaste

Unlike bleaching products, which contain carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide, whitening toothpaste only cleans the enamel rather than changing the color of your teeth. To obtain the benefits of whitening toothpaste, you need to use it regularly.

If a whitening toothpaste meets the ADA standards and contains fluoride, the next step is to clear it with your dentist. Whitening toothpaste often contains abrasives to remove surface stains. Though abrasives are an effective aid in tooth whitening, they may not be recommended if you have weak tooth enamel.

Specialty Toothpaste

In certain situations, your dentist may suggest or prescribe specialty toothpaste, depending on your oral health needs. For example, patients who are prone to tooth decay and cavities despite frequent brushing and flossing may benefit from prescription-strength fluoridated toothpaste to help prevent the weakening of tooth enamel. Others who suffer from tooth sensitivity may benefit from the use of desensitizing toothpaste.

Toothpaste for Children

Before a child can spit, use toothpaste without fluoride. This is an ideal time to use toothpaste with xylitol. Xylitol should be listed as the first ingredient; this way you’ll get the almost medicinal property of this natural sweetener. After you have found the right type of toothpaste, consider its flavor. The best kind of toothpaste is one that will be used, so choose a flavor that your child will love.

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Oral piercings can be found on the tongue, lip, cheek, or other soft tissue around the mouth. It’s important to consider potential complications stemming from oral piercings so that you can maintain your best oral health.

Common problems associated with oral piercings:

• Swelling, bleeding, or infection

Piercings can make it more challenging for infections to go away on their own, and might require antibiotics. Also, open wound infections might discharge pus, creating an unpleasant experience.

• Chipped teeth

Chipped teeth might require veneers or crowns, which can also be damaged from the piercing.

• Cuts and scars in the mouth

The piercing might create lacerations in the mouth that take time to heal and can reoccur.

• Jewelry can get stuck in soft tissue

If a piercing becomes impacted, it sometimes requires surgical removal.

• Hypersalivation

Excess salivation can lead to issues like drooling.

• Palatal erythema

Palatal erythema is an inflammatory condition and is marked by bright red, irritated tissue that occurs due to the accumulation of blood in dilated capillaries.

• Oral lichenoid lesions

These lesions are often an allergic response, and a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the mucous membrane lining of the cheeks, lips, and tongue. It is considered a precancerous condition.

• Keloid formation

Keloids are a thick, raised scar.

If you have or are considering an oral piercing, it’s important to be aware of these potential issues and schedule regular cleanings to maintain your best oral health.

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It can be a challenge to get our children to brush, brush well, and brush often. Here are some tips that can help you keep those beautiful little teeth healthy.

The most important time to brush is at night before bed. When we sleep, our saliva production decreases, and this creates an environment for oral bacteria to cause greater destruction to our teeth and gums. Ideally, your child should brush at least two minutes twice per day, followed by flossing.

Infants

Even before your baby’s first tooth appears, the gums can benefit from your careful attention. After breast- or bottle-feeding, wrap one finger with a clean, damp washcloth or piece of gauze and gently rub it across your baby’s gum tissue. This practice both clears your little one’s mouth of any fragments of food and begins the process for building good daily oral care habits.

Toddlers

When your baby’s teeth start to erupt, it’s time to incorporate a toothbrush into your hygiene routine. Start by getting into a position that gives you control and enables you to see well into your child’s mouth. If you can see clearly, you will be able to maneuver the toothbrush better around your child’s mouth for a better quality of brushing.

Using a circular motion, brush all sides of their teeth. Be sure to let your toddler have a turn after you’re done so they can get used to brushing on their own. This way, he or she is more likely to repeat the brushing and flossing exercise when they are old enough.

The only way to get better at something is to practice, practice, and practice. Have your child practice brushing on his or her favorite stuffed animal, and use that opportunity to teach your youngster how to hold the brush and use circular cleaning motions. Showing how you brush your own teeth can also be worthwhile.

Big Kids

Kids love the responsibility of making “big kid” decisions. Keep a variety of toothbrushes, colors of floss, and toothpaste flavors on hand so they can choose something “new” each time they brush.

Flossing

Flossers are great for older children with better dexterity. They have a horseshoe shape on one end with floss in between. You can make a choice for individual preference with color, handle size, or shape to suit your child’s needs.

Choosing a Toothbrush

The most important thing to consider is your child’s age and stage of development. Up until age ten, your child will not have the dexterity to adequately brush or floss independently. Automatic toothbrushes are highly appropriate for all ages. Brushing quality improves when using a battery-powered toothbrush. Use it together with your child, and always play an active role in your child’s oral home care.

The important things to remember when you seek to establish good brushing habits is to keep it fun and stay consistent with your routine. It may take some getting used to, but after a while, your child will become familiar with brushing and might even look forward to their new dental routine.

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Adding an appropriate mouthwash to your dental hygiene routine can be a simple and effective way to improve your overall dental health. Mouthwash helps reduce plaque, control bad breath, and prevents tooth decay and gum disease. There are many types and brands of mouthwash available over-the-counter to choose from, and some are even prescribed. With all the choices out there, how do you possibly choose one?

It’s important to note that while many of the mouthwashes you find on the shelf at your local drugstore may be advertised for cosmetic purposes, some of them actually contain bacteria fighting substances like fluoride and peroxide. However, if your dentist has told you that you are at risk for tooth decay or gum disease, you will want to use a prescribed mouthwash with stronger bacteria fighting substances.

Benefits of Using Mouthwash

There are two categories that mouthwashes fall into: cosmetic, which temporarily combat bad breath and contain fluoride or peroxide to help manage bacteria, and therapeutic, which contain stronger substances that control or reduce bad breath, gingivitis, plaque, and tooth decay.

Cosmetic mouthwash usually contains fluoride and sometimes peroxide. In liquid form, the rinse can reach all around your teeth, even the nooks and crannies your toothbrush can’t reach. It has been proven that fluoride strengthens tooth enamel, in turn protecting against decay. Fluoride can even reduce miniscule lesions on teeth where a cavity might develop.

Therapeutic mouthwash contains ingredients to control and reduce plaque. Plaque is a sticky substance full of bacteria that sits on the surface of your teeth and other parts of your mouth. Studies have shown that therapeutic mouthwash decreases plaque more significantly than brushing and flossing alone.

Active ingredients in a therapeutic mouthwash may include:

• Cetylpyridinium chloride to prevent the development of bacteria that cause gum disease
• Chlorhexidine to treat gingivitis by reducing inflammation, swelling, and bleeding of the gums
• Essential oils to help prevent cavities by reducing bacteria deep in the gums
• Fluoride to strengthen tooth enamel, allowing it to be more resistant to tooth decay
• Peroxide to penetrate the surface layer of a tooth in order to remove unsightly stains

Which mouthwash is right for me?

When perusing the mouthwash aisle at your local drugstore, be sure to look for the American Dental Association (ADA) seal on the label. This means that the product has not only been evaluated, but proven effective by renowned dental experts. With prescription mouthwash, you must follow your dentist’s directions carefully. Mouthwash benefits most people, but it should not be used for children under six years of age, as they may accidentally swallow the liquid.

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Cavities are small in size but can cause big problems. In the form of little holes in your teeth, they develop when acid attacks your tooth enamel, the essential protective covering for your teeth. The acid may come either from your diet or certain oral bacteria that flourish when poor oral hygiene is present. If a cavity is not treated as soon as possible, the bacteria have the opportunity to move further into your tooth, affecting even the root. You may end up needing a root canal or losing teeth altogether.

If you want your teeth to last a lifetime, the prevention of cavities is rather simple: brush and floss every day, pay attention to your diet, and see your dentist regularly. An alternative option is dental sealants, which are thin coatings your dentist paints on the chewing surfaces of your back teeth. They can prevent cavities for many years.

The Importance of Brushing and Flossing

It always goes back to the basics. If you invest your time into a good oral hygiene routine, cavity prevention is almost guaranteed. It is recommended to brush and floss your teeth at least two times a day, every day. This helps to remove food particles and harmful bacteria that stick in and around your teeth. Flossing reaches the nooks and crannies that your toothbrush is unable to reach. Be sure to choose a toothpaste that contains fluoride, as this mineral can help prevent and repair cavities that are in their early stages.

Diet Impacts Dental Health

There are certain foods and beverages, while they may taste good, are incredibly damaging to your teeth. For example, soda, sports drinks, fruit juice, and energy drinks (even the sugar-free ones) contain acids that attack your tooth enamel, ultimately eroding it and making your teeth more susceptible to decay. The best alternative is to drink fluoride-containing water, as it lacks acidic properties and helps replenish your saliva. Foods like cookies, candy, donuts, and chips are also damaging to your teeth, especially if the remaining food particles are not removed through brushing and flossing. These sugary and starchy foods nourish the oral bacteria that create cavities, raising the acidity level in your mouth.

Checkups and Professional Cleanings

It is recommended that you visit your dentist at least twice a year for checkups and professional cleanings. Your dentist will take a look to see if you have any early signs of a problem developing inside your mouth and take swift action if there is. Your dental hygienist is able to clear away debris in your mouth that you can’t reach with a toothbrush or even floss. Alongside your dental team, you will be able to combat any early signs of decay or disease that comes your way.

Sealants

A dental sealant is a clear, protective coating applied by your dentist to prevent cavities from forming or stopping minor decay from developing further. Sealants act as a barrier between acid-producing bacteria and the grooves and crevices of teeth’s chewing surfaces. While sealants can be used on adults, children, especially those who have their permanent teeth, gain the most benefit from dental sealants. Children with sealants are up to three times less likely to develop cavities than those without. Of course, sealants don’t replace good home hygiene, so be sure your child still brushes twice a day and flosses at least once per day.

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It’s no secret that the best way to prevent oral decay and disease is by maintaining a strict oral hygiene routine every day. Brushing and flossing go hand in hand; you shouldn’t do one without the other. Brushing your teeth is an excellent way to remove food debris and flossing allows you to get into the hard to reach areas between your teeth that your toothbrush cannot reach. Both effectively remove plaque, which erode your tooth enamel if left untouched long enough. This then eventually leads to tooth decay. Plaque also causes gum disease and bad breath.

Brushing

• After choosing a toothbrush with a small head and soft bristles, grasp it with your fingers and apply a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste on the bristles.
• Be sure to hold the bristles near the gum line.
• Sweep the brush gently back and forth over your teeth and gums in soft strokes or a circular motion, but do not apply too much force.
• Clean away food debris between your teeth and away from your gums by using a sweeping motion.
• Don’t forget to brush the back of your teeth as well, tilting the bristles up toward the gums for the top teeth or down toward the gums for your bottom teeth.
• Also brush the chewing surfaces of your teeth by holding the bristles flat against your molars to clean all the ridges of your back teeth.
• Repeat this whole process for your other row of teeth.
• Finally, carefully brush your tongue to remove extra bacteria.

Flossing

• Begin by cutting off a piece of floss about 18 inches long.
• Wind the floss around the middle finger of both your hands, leaving a gap between them that spans about three or four inches.
• It’s common for beginners to tighten their lips and cheeks, making it difficult to get their fingers into their mouth. Be sure to relax them.
• Slowly guide the floss between your teeth. If the gap is tight, use a gentle sawing motion to slip the floss between the gap. The sawing motion should only be used when slipping floss between your teeth.
• There are two sides to each space between your teeth. They must be flossed separately in order to not irritate the triangle of gum tissue between the teeth. Run the floss up and down the surface of the first side, making sure that you’re reaching the gum line and then to the highest point between the teeth. Apply pressure away from the gum triangle, letting it curve around the first side of the tooth to form a letter “C” with the floss. Repeat this process with the other side of the tooth.
• Work all around the mouth to get every side and the backsides of your molars.
• Feel free to unwind more floss if you find your strand fraying or turning brown.

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