Bet you didn't think this topic would come up! For those who don't know, I'm in dental school, and over the past few weeks, I've been studying for a test in periodontology, and the only work I do on patients so far is periodontal checkups. This basically involves checking the health of the gums, probing (checking how deep the pocket in the tissue goes around the teeth), scaling (or taking off all the calculus or tartar), and most importantly, going over oral hygiene.
I think there are a lot of misconceptions out there about oral hygiene, and how to adequately clean your mouth. First things first, you should brush your teeth at least once a day, and preferably twice. At least one of those times should be right before you go to bed. The reason we say that is because when you are sleeping, you don't salivate much, and you don't swallow much. This means that all of the bacteria in your mouth will reproduce freely and not get washed away by saliva. This is even worse if they have sugars that help them reproduce faster! So, get rid of as much as you can right before you go to sleep for the night. As for the next time you should brush your teeth? I don't really care, whenever it fits into your schedule.
Here is a decent video which demonstrates the brushing technique that we use in our clinics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqCpZm6s_dE
You should also only be using toothbrushes that are ultrasoft or soft. Anything more is too harsh and will probably cause recession of your gums.
And now for the part no one likes: Flossing. Flossing is so important, and sorry, but it can't be replaced by just swishing with mouthwash. The toothbrush does a remarkably bad job at getting at plaque (or bacterial film) in between the teeth. Good flossing technique by just going up on either side of the triangle between your teeth loosens up the plaque, and then it is easier to get rid of. On that note, you should probably be flossing BEFORE you brush, that way you brush away the bacteria that you loosened with your floss. If you want to use the little dental picks, that works too. Whatever you want to use to physically get between the teeth is good. If you haven't flossed in a while, you may notice that it hurts a bit, or you get a little bleeding the first few times. That is just because of the bacteria that has been sitting there for at least 10 days. That bleeding will go away if you continue to floss for a few days in a row.
And now for your cute dose of the day. http://www.sanger.dk
Do you have any questions about oral hygiene, or any misconceptions you want cleared up?
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