– Brush your teeth at least twice per day (before breakfast after dinner)
– Brush with a soft round bristle toothbrush
– Brush with stillman or Bass technique based on gum and tooth condition (see video for all Brushing techniques).
– Brush your gums very gently. (The correct bushing motion is a circular massaging technique along the gum line rather than vigorous brushing back and forth. Vigorous brushing can injure your gums).
– Use a tongue scraper to clean your tongue which will remove additional bacteria and freshen your breath.
– Replace your toothbrush every three to four months or after an illness. Which comes first.
– Use a toothpaste with added fluoride for cavity protection.
It is essential to floss your teeth at least once each day for optimal dental health. When you brush teeth. You are removing plaque from the surface of your teeth…
Fluoride
Fluoride can be a gel, foam or a liquid and comes in many flavors. It helps prevent cavities by fixing the first tiny stages of tooth decay and slowing down the growth of bacteria. It is very important for kids over the age of 5 years old to get fluoride treatments to enhance the strength of the forming baby adult teeth. In adults, when the teeth are fully formed and erupted, it is helpful to decrease the sensitivity of teeth.
If kids ingest too much fluoride – which is usually from swallowing fluoride enhanced toothpastes – white spot can occur on the teeth. This is called fluorosis, to prevent this, ensure that your child is properly spitting out the tooth paste after brushing, or just use the mechanical action of the toothbrush without toothpaste to brush their teeth.
Xylitol
Xylitol is a chemical compound sweetener with the formula C5H12O5. It is a colorless or white crystalline solid that is soluble in water.
Xylitol is used as a food additive and sugar substitute. In manufactured products, such as drugs or dietary supplements, confections, toothpaste, and chewing gum. Xylitol has negligible effects on blood sugar because it is metabolized independently of insulin. Xylitol supplies 40% fewer calories than table sugar.
Studies have determined that xylitol boosts dental health and helps prevent tooth decay.
Xylitol reduces caries by increasing saliva and killing streptococcus mutans the bacteria which is most responsible for plaque and caries in the mouth.
In other word, when you chew gum with xylitol or use it as a sweetener, the harmful bacteria in your mouth starve to death and reduced levels of bad bacteria by 27-75% while friendly bacteria levels remained constant, and can reduce cavities and tooth decay by 30-85%.
X-rays helps us spot the start of any dental problems before they get too serious. They show the start of cavities between teeth and under old fillings that can be hard to detect with just a visual exam. They also can show bone loss, Impacted wisdom teeth, infections, cysts, tumors, and even cancers.
The x-rays we use at Amirad Family Dentistry are digital, which means we do not have to expose you to as much radiation as conventional x-rays. We also have computer screens in each operatory so that we can take time to go through each x-ray with you.
Also Panoramic x-ray we use at Amirad Family Dentistry is digital. These x-rays aid in determining the formation of wisdom teeth, health of the TMJ, and evidence of cysts, Tumors or Cancers. They are very important in the diagnosis of disease, even on patients without any teeth at all!
Cephalometric x-rays are taken only when a work up is required for orthodontic reasons. Our dentists use this x-ray to take linear measurements and angles to determine the source of your malaligned teeth or jaws.Finally, we also have a state-of-the-art cone CT near our dental center. Because you are a 3 dimensional being, we want to diagnose in all 3 dimensions. Our cone beam scanner allows us to do this, with very low radiation. These types of x rays are going to be the standard of care in the future. But, at our clinic, the future is here now!
Dental sealants (also termed pit and fissure sealants; or simply fissure sealants) are a dental treatment intended to prevent tooth decay. Teeth have recesses on their biting surfaces; the back teeth have fissures (grooves) and some front teeth have cingulum pits. It is these pits and fissures which are most vulnerable to tooth decay because food and bacteria stick in them and because they are hard-to-clean areas.
Dental sealants are materials placed in these pits and fissures to fill them in, creating a smooth surface which is easy to clean.
Modern dental sealants generally are either resin based or glass ionomer based. They are usually placed for children on their molars and premolars, or any permanent tooth with deep grooves in order to prevent cavities. Because of the shorter life span of baby teeth, they usually do not need sealants.
If you are one of the many people who suffer from tooth sensitivity from cold, hot or sweet stimuli, the first step is to try using the desensitizing action of sensitive toothpaste such as sensodyne.But, sometimes you may need a bit more help than just brushing with sensodyne. We can actually paint on a stranger desensitizing agent or use a DIODE LASER that helps seal microscopic holes in your teeth that cause the sensitivity.
We have had great success with this method of treatment and it can often be a more affordable solution desensitizing may have to be done every 6 months or so. If this is not helping the process, the tooth may have been too worn down and a filling may need to be placed. We can help you determine which method will be best suited for your dental health needs.
Custom fit sports mouth guards are ideal for all your sporting activities. A proper fitting mouth guard can actually enhance your performance, since its exact fit makes it easier for you to breathe, which will increase the oxygen intake to your whole body.
Boil and Bite mouth guards are always more bulky and inhibit oxygen intake.
Another kind of mouth guard is called a night guard. It is ideal for people who grind or clench their teeth at night and are showing signs of tooth wear and /or headaches, jaw aches or neckaches. Talk to us to see if a night guard could help you.