Cleaning and Hygiene
If you want to keep your teeth for as long as possible, you need to take care of them. You use your teeth every day to chew food and every time you eat you are allowing germs to get into your teeth and possibly cause an infection. Keeping your teeth clean keeps them from developing problems in the future.
Brushing and Flossing Your Teeth
If you want to keep your teeth clean and healthy, you’ll need to brush your teeth properly. This starts with the right equipment. You need a toothbrush with soft bristles so that you don’t wear away your teeth. You should also change your toothbrush every three months because a toothbrush with worn bristles isn’t as effective. If possible, you should use an electric toothbrush.
Brush your teeth at least twice a day for 2 minutes at a time. This will remove the plaque from your teeth. Give more attention to your back teeth, which tend to get more plaque.
Flossing is also important because it gets rid of the bits of food which can encourage germs to proliferate. Sometimes if you’re not used to flossing your gums may bleed. Don’t stop flossing because eventually your gums will become healthier and will no longer bleed when you floss.
Professional Cleaning
Even when you brush and floss properly, it’s still not enough to maintain good oral hygiene. You’ll need professional cleaning at least once every 6 months as well.
The main problem you have is plaque, which is filled with bacteria. The plaque envelops the teeth and if you don’t brush regularly then the bacteria in the plaque can attack the enamel of your teeth and also cause problems for your gums.
The plaque can also turn into tartar, which is the yellowish sticky deposit around the base of your teeth that’s virtually impossible to remove at home. Our dental hygienist can remove the tartar with the special tools in our clinic. We will use an ultrasonic tool that emits small vibrations to knock the tartar off your teeth.
While the tools can be loud, this is a painless procedure, and our dental hygienists are trained to be gentle and careful. We can also adjust the setting of the ultrasonic tool for your comfort. What’s more, we can offer topical numbing gels on your gums if they’re very sensitive. And we will also offer nitrous oxide if you’re afraid or apprehensive of the procedure.
Other services we can offer include removing stains on your teeth, applying fluoride and sealant, and polishing your teeth to make them look even better.
If you want to ensure that your teeth are well-maintained, visit Ashley Family Dental. You’ll find our contact info for our clinic in Waukegan, IL. Give us a call or send us a message, and we can make sure that you get the dental services you need to keep your teeth strong, healthy and clean.
