Dental Hygiene: “The Insider Information”

October is National Dental Hygiene month. Most everyone knows the basics of oral hygiene. You know, “Brush and floss your teeth daily”. However many people are unaware of the armentarium of helpful dental hygiene aids that exist. As a dental hygienist there are so many other tools we recommend on a daily basis to our patients to achieve a healthy mouth. After all the end goal is not to just brush and floss mindlessly but instead to clean all areas of your mouth. Below I have listed some of the most popular and helpful hygiene aides we recommend in our dental office:

Interproximal brushes

These are small brushes on a rigid wire (much like a pipe cleaner) that are inserted between your back teeth to remove plaque and food debris. They are used like tooth picks and are very effective at cleaning larger spaces that may not be efficiently cleaned with traditional floss.

Flossers

This is essentially floss with a handle allowing better access and ease of use. One of the main reasons patients’ reports not using traditional floss is the inability to effectively thread the floss between the back teeth. This fixes that problem.

Tongue Scrapper

What, People really do that? There is a group of people that need to use a tongue scraper as part of their daily to weekly oral hygiene routine. If your tongue is not pink then you are one of those people. The mouth is full of bacteria and the tongue can be like a wet carpet serving as a large breeding ground for these bacteria. Using a tongue scraper to mechanically scrape the tongue can go a long way in reducing the mouths bacterial load which in turn helps bad breath, gingivitis and overall oral health.

End Tuft brush

This is a toothbrush that only has a small section of bristles making it easier to get to those hard to reach places. This is used in conjunction with regular brushing and is great for back teeth.

Toothpick

A classic. This is a convenient tool that is used to remove food debris and plaque. It can be guided along the gumline to remove plaque and to massage.

Rubber Tip Stimulator

These were once commonly seen on the end of toothbrushes and can now be bought as a separate tool. It is used to remove plaque, massage gums and is especially useful when used with dental implants.

There are many helpful tools besides the basics. If you are not sure which tools you could benefit from, be sure to ask your dental hygienist at your next appointment what else you can do besides just “brushing and flossing”.

Today’s post was written personally by Drs. David and Janna
Civils and their hygienist Kelly. Do you have a question for either Dr. David or Dr. Janna?
We would love to hear from you!