Dental Hygiene

Helpful Hints for a Healthy Mouth        

To help our patients achieve optimal dental hygiene, we want to emphasize the importance of not only brushing, but also flossing regularly. While effective brushing is incredibly important for cleaning your teeth, there are still places in the mouth that a brush cannot reach. This is why the combination of brushing and flossing is so crucial to your dental hygiene. It is recommended that you brush for two minutes, twice daily, and floss once a day. While most people brush regularly, a large percentage do not brush correctly and use techniques that are ineffective or even harmful.

Brushing Your Teeth                    

To properly brush your teeth, position the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the tooth and use small circular motions. The bristles should be able to slide gently into the gums and massage them. Avoid using a scrubbing, “back and forth” motion, as it can lead to gum recession.

Remember, brushing isn’t just about cleaning the surface of your teeth; it also cleans the gums and particularly the gum line. This border between your gums and teeth is the entrance for bacteria to get under the gums and cause serious problems. While electric toothbrushes are more effective in handling oral bacteria than manual ones, they have to be used correctly and are not a substitute for flossing.

Always Remember to Floss                        

It’s important to keep in mind that flossing and cleaning between your teeth is a crucial step towards achieving healthy gums. A toothbrush simply cannot make it into certain parts of the mouth that floss can. Although mastering good flossing techniques may take some practice, it should only take about two to three minutes of your day once you make it a habit. Our dental hygiene specialists in Detroit can provide additional aids to help you clean between your teeth, especially in areas that a toothbrush cannot reach, including proxy brushes and floss aids.

Laser Pocket Disinfection for a Clinical Clean                      

As a preventive dental hygiene strategy, we recommend Laser Pocket Disinfection (LPD). This dental laser procedure is typically performed before or along with a standard dental cleaning. Its purpose is to remove bacteria that reside in the “pockets” in between the teeth and gums, which cannot be reached by a traditional cleaning alone. These bacteria can cause gum disease when they are not addressed.

Additional Reading                                    

LPD targets any diseased tissue, removes the toxins and bacteria causing the problems, and helps restore your gums and oral health. An additional benefit of LPD is biostimulation, which increases blood circulation in the gums, boosts collagen production, and stimulates the activity of bone and tissue-building connective cells. Additionally, it acts to speed up the healing process. Removing periodontitis and gingivitis will benefit your overall health and help you become a healthier version of yourself. We recommend LPD for all adult patients (over 16 years old) in addition to their regular cleaning appointments. At Lakeshore Dental, we are committed to providing the highest quality care to our patients while staying up-to-date with the latest technologies, and LPD is an exciting and effective treatment option. Feel free to ask your Dental Hygiene Specialist about LPD at your next appointment!