Steps to Achieving a Beautiful, Winning Smile
Healthy Brushing Techniques
The first step to achieving a healthy smile is, without a doubt, brushing your teeth. Completing this simple, everyday routine can mean the difference between a dull, decaying smile and beautifully white, healthy teeth.
While brushing twice per day is recommended at the minimum, it would be most beneficial to brush after each meal.
Brushing should be done for at least 2 minutes.
Ideally, when brushing, the toothbrush should be held at a 45-degree angle below the gums. The back, front, and top surfaces of the teeth should be brushed thoroughly.
Small, circular motions as well as up and down movements should be done on each tooth. The brush should be sweeping up and away from the gum line in gentle strokes.
Do not forget to brush the tongue to remove bacteria and any related odors.
Toothbrushes
Selecting a toothbrush, whether it be manual or electric, is up to the individual.
However, orthodontists do recommend a brush head that is extra soft or soft. Hard bristles can potentially damage the gums and cause abrasions to the teeth.
Toothpaste
It is highly recommended to use a toothpaste containing fluoride. Choosing a good toothpaste is essential in reducing plaque build-up, tartar, unattractive stains, cavities, bad breath, and the risk of gum disease.
How to Floss Your Teeth Correctly
While flossing is often skipped over, it remains an essential step in all orthodontist-approved oral hygiene routines.
Flossing is meant to target the tight, small crevices of the mouth that toothbrushes are often too bulky to reach. These crevices often hold minuscule food particles as well as accumulated plaque or tartar that only flossing can remove.
Flossing Technique
It is recommended to use at least 18 inches of loose floss. This floss ought to be wrapped around the middle fingers of both hands and held firm by the thumb and pointer fingers.
The floss should be gently guided around each tooth in a half-circle shape. The floss is then moved in a back-and-forth motion to loosen any particles that may be lodged there. The base of the teeth and the gums should be flossed under as well.
Clean sections of floss ought to be used as one move from tooth to tooth.
Both waxed and unwaxed floss are suggested for everyday flossing.
Still Have Questions?
If any of these brushing or flossing techniques remain unclear to you, Dr. Redford and Dr. Burke will be happy to demonstrate how to properly do them during a visit.
For any additional questions, please give Burke & Redford Orthodontists a call at (951) 699-8011.
We have convenient office locations in Temecula and Lake Elsinore.
Benefits of Using Mouthwash
An extra step to provide an extra boost to one’s daily oral hygiene regimen is using mouthwash following each brushing.
Not only does this leave the mouth feeling pristine and sparkling, but it also works to prevent plaque, freshen the breath, and eliminate bacteria.
How to Use Mouthwash
In most cases, the mouthwash is swirled and swished around the mouth for 30 seconds before being spit into a sink.
However, following the specific instructions on the back of each mouthwash is recommended.
Mouthwash should NEVER be swallowed and is not recommended for children under 12 years old without adult supervision.
There are mouth rinses available without alcohol for those that dislike the typical burning sensation that can come with alcohol-infused rinses.
The Importance of Dental Check-Ups and Cleanings
While one’s daily oral hygiene routine at home is vital to a healthy mouth, the importance of professional check-ups and cleanings twice per year should not be undervalued.
Despite the excellent daily regimen of brushing, flossing, and rinsing with a mouthwash that should be followed, there is a deeper cleaning your teeth need that may only be provided at a dentist’s office.
In addition to this professional cleaning, the mouth needs to be examined to ensure there are no underlying problems.
Only board-certified dentists and orthodontists possess the experience, skill, and training needed to identify issues that are invisible to ordinary patients.
These issues may include:
- Disease of the gums (periodontitis)
- Oral cancer (curable if early diagnosis is obtained)
- Loss of teeth
- Broken crowns or fillings
- Cavities
Early identification of these issues is why biannual visits to the dentist are crucial to excellent oral healthiness.
Benefits of Maintaining Optimal Oral Hygiene
It takes dedication to keep up an oral care regimen each day. However, those that do tend to enjoy the incredible benefits that come from excellent oral hygiene, such as:
- Clean, sparkling white teeth
- Increased in self-esteem
- Fresh, minty breath
- Excellent, lasting oral health into adulthood and beyond
- Decreased chance of gum disease and accumulation of plaque, cavities, or tartar
Various studies into oral wellbeing have found links between diseased gums and heart conditions.
Therefore, sustaining exceptional oral health and care can not only benefit the mouth but the entire body as a whole.
Additional Tips to Having a Beautiful, White Smile
Besides an everyday cleaning regimen and yearly trips to visit a dental professional, there are other key ways to keep your mouth in tiptop shape.
- Healthy eating:
A balanced, nutritious diet is not only advantageous to the body, but one’s oral health, too.
- Stain prevention:
If brushing is not possible after consuming something that causes staining on the teeth, a quick rinse of the mouth with water or mouthwash can prevent discoloration.
- Avoid smoking and chewing tobacco:
Cigarettes, tobacco, and cigars are some of the leading triggers of gum disease and yellowing of the teeth. Besides being toxic to your overall health, these products can undercut every effort at achieving optimal oral health.
Have Questions?
The fantastic staff at Burke & Redford Orthodontists are available to answer any questions you may have regarding initial consultations, treatment options, appointment scheduling, or orthodontic care in general.
We can be reached at (951) 699-8011 during normal business hours. We have orthodontist office locations in beautiful Temecula and Lake Elsinore.
If you would like to get started on your way to a stunning smile and discuss clear Damon braces, ceramic braces, metal braces or Invisalign, we offer consultations with our board-certified doctors free of charge to new patients.
Zero-interest payment plans are also available to help you get started on the best treatment options we offer.
We look forward to serving you and treating you to a best-in-class experience at Burke & Redford Orthodontists.