Rinse and Repeat: Advice From the Cosmetic Dentist in Sun City on Brushing Your Teeth

This article provides guidelines to brushing your teeth correctly, focusing on the choice brush, the method of brushing and the length of time it should take.

One of the first things we learn after walking and talking is how to brush our teeth. At least we think we learn how to brush our teeth. Truth be told, according to a cosmetic dentist in Sun City, most people do not brush their teeth correctly, ultimately causing more damage than good.

Incorrect brushing can possibly damage your tooth enamel and gums, causing the teeth to weaken or the teeth roots to be exposed. Over time, the state of your teeth will deteriorate making it more likely for you to experience tooth decay and later, tooth loss. Although tooth loss can be fixed with tooth implants, ultimately you want to keep your natural teeth for as long as possible.

So Let’s Start From the Very Beginning

The first step to correct brushing is your choice in toothbrush. When choosing a brush, both the size and the bristles are important. A cosmetic dentist in Sun City suggests soft bristled brushes as the better option. Harder bristles can hasten the erosion of dental enamel and irritate the gums.

The size of the brush is dependent on each person, but the toothbrush should feel comfortable, without you having to strain your mouth to reach the back teeth. Whether you choose an electric toothbrush or a manual one is up to you, so long as you maintain good brushing techniques.

Follow the Right Direction

For many people, horizontal brushing feels like the easiest option. But as with most things in life, the easiest way is not always the best way. Horizontal brushing has a damaging effect on tooth enamel and gums.

Ideally you want to brush vertically or with small circular motions. The cosmetic dentist in Sun City suggests aiming your brush at a 45-degree angle to your gum line and making short, soft, vertical strokes.

Not Too Long and Not Too Short

Brushing your teeth for too long can be equally as bad as not brushing your teeth for long enough, says the cosmetic dentist in Sun City. If you don’t brush your teeth for long enough, you won’t eliminate sufficient bacteria to prevent their slow and steady destruction of your teeth. This can later on lead to tooth decay.

At the same time, brushing your teeth for too long could cause irritation of the gums and their subsequent recession from the crowns of the teeth, causing the sensitive roots to become exposed. It also puts your tooth enamel under strain, leading to erosion and ultimately a weakening of your teeth.

The length of time recommended for brushing your teeth is approximately two minutes. Many electric toothbrushes come with timers, which will help you maintain a proper brushing length. So put on your favorite song and brush away to the music!

Get Right In There

In most cases people tend to clean what they see and ignore what they don’t. The cosmetic dentist in Sun City says it is imperative that you tend to all corners of your mouth when brushing. The inner teeth, the very back molars and the tongue all need to be included in your 3 minute cleaning routine.

The Scoop on Dental Pain, Fear and Anxiety from Tooth Implant Experts in Arizona, PART 2

This two-part article series discusses why many patients experience fear and anxiety at the prospect of their bi-annual appointments.

For many people, shaking hands, an elevated heart beat and a cold sweat is par for the course during their bi-annual appointment with the dentist. Just like a fear of spiders, snakes, heights and closed spaces, dental phobias are all too common amongst the members of our society. Perhaps you yourself are a sufferer! The difference between the afore-mentioned fears and a phobia of the dentist and dental treatment is that the primal phobias are an atavistic response to imminent danger. A spider or snake bite could be potentially fatal. Heights too; but a visit to the dentist nowadays is, at its best, mildly uncomfortable.

So why do we fear it so? And why is this fear so pervasive? In our previous article post, we discussed the media, movies and our friends and family as being a source of dental anxiety and fear. Just from hearing the way our parents and friends talk, we grow up thinking that a trip to the dentist is something to be nervous about. Then of course there are needles to worry about.

But of all the various sources of dental anxiety and fear, perhaps the over-arching theme is pain. A fear of pain and discomfort.

Tooth Implant Experts: Pain Management in Dentistry

“It is completely normal for patients to worry about pain,” say tooth implant experts. “But what people seem to have forgotten is that dentistry has advanced quite substantially over the last few decades. Even in the last 10 years, we’ve made incredible advancements in the fields of patient care and pain management.”

Nowadays your dentist will use:

• Anesthetic gels to numb the gums before needles are used, so you don’t feel a thing.
• Sedative medications to send you off safely to la-la land so that you won’t remember a thing about your procedure.
• Anesthesia for more complex surgeries.
• Prescription pain medications to manage post-operative pain and discomfort.

But perhaps the greatest advancements of all, as far as pain is concerned, are the sophisticated technologies that allow general and cosmetic dentists to offer non-invasive solutions to ailments that have traditionally required surgery. Computer imaging software is now a standard tool in the dentist’s office, which can be used to provide a comprehensive understanding of jaw bone structure and tooth orientation. This in turn allows the dentist to plan procedures in great detail, thus minimizing the need for incisions and sutures: a primary cause of post-operative pain and discomfort.

Modern Dentistry: Don’t Worry, Be Happy

A combination of newer, less invasive dental procedures and pain management medications and techniques really has rendered the modern day dental office a place of pleasant experiences rather than pain and anxiety. “Our services really have changed over the years and while dentists have always had a bad rap in the past, this is - for the most part - unfair and even exaggerated,” says a cosmetic dentist in Sun City.

Bear all this in mind the next time fear and anxiety make you consider skipping your appointment with the dentist!