A beautiful, healthy smile that lasts a lifetime is our ultimate objective when treating patients. Your personal home care plays the most important role in achieving that goal. An effective home care strategy starts by eating a balanced diet, reducing the number of snacks you eat (especially at night before bedtime), and correctly using the various dental aids that help control the biofilm (plaque) that cause dental and systemic disease.
Tooth brushing
We strongly recommend the use of an electronic toothbrush. There are many brands on the marketplace, and we suggest the use of the Sonicare due to:
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The very efficient sonic vibrational action of the bristles.
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A built-in 2 minute timer.
Visit Sonicare's website
Do use the Sonicare twice a day. The night-time use should include 2 two minute cycles ( the Sonicare instructions have you using only one cycle for the entire mouth; the addition of the second cycle at night increases biofilm removal dramatically ); one full cycle for your upper teeth and one for your lowers. The Sonicare should be preceded by the use of an oral irrigation device, instead of floss. ( see below )
If you will be utilizing a manual toothbrush:
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Place the brush at a 45 degree angle to the gums and gently brush using a small, circular motion, ensuring that you always feel the bristles on the gums.
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Brush the outer, inner, and biting surfaces of each tooth. ( please do avoid brushing the surfaces of mercury-based, "amalgams" or "silver", fillings )
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Use the tip of the brush to clean the inside of the front teeth.
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Do attempt to brush for, at least, 3 minutes.
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Use a soft or extrasoft bristled brush
Oral Irrigation
50 years of data has shown that a stream of water is a more efficient means to clean between the teeth, as compared to the use of floss. Water flossing requires less dexterity than floss use, especially in the back teeth that are difficult to reach.
As seen with electronic toothbrushes, there are many different brands of "water flossers" available. We recommend the WaterPik brand ( Water Flosser Ultra WP-100 model ) due to its ease of use, it's availability in the retail and on-line marketplaces and, most importantly, the pulsating water flow that is delivered through the tip.
Do use the WaterPik at night-time in conjunction with the Sonicare. We recommend utilizing 2 full reservoirs of water, one for the upper teeth and one for the lowers. As with the Sonicare, we recommend doubling the manufacturer's recommendation of only one reservoir. See the links below for more detailed instructions on the use and care of your WaterPik.
visit WaterPik's website
Tongue Scraping
In addition to the teeth and gum pockets, biofilm does accumulate on the surface of the tongue. Simple brushing or use of a tongue scraper ( many different types sold OTC ) can reduce the bacteria that cause disease and halitosis ( bad breath ).
Please view our instructional videos below on how to use and maintain your Waterpik unit.