You may have been brushing your teeth ever since you can remember, or maybe you’ve listed flossing as one of your New Year’s resolutions. We’ve been taught to take care of our dental health since we were in our diapers. But sometimes, it’s a good thing to go back to the basics and revisit dental hygiene habits you thought you had already mastered.

Brushing

When it comes to brushing, dentists advise their patients to brush their teeth at least twice a day. However, the ideal is to brush after every meal. But for those who may have already lost tract of what time of the day it is and have long stopped subscribing to the normal meal habits, then dentists continue to emphasize the need to brush before turning in for bed. Within the six to eight hours which you are fast asleep, your salivary glands also wind down their production of saliva. Because of this, populations of bacteria begin to skyrocket which can lead to dental problems.

And when it comes to brushing, frequency isn’t the only factor. It’s also important for you to brush the proper way and that is using gentle and circular strokes. The problem with those who are very forceful with their brushing is that they may irritate their gums instead and cause gingivitis. And the worst part is that brushing vigorously is not known to be effective at plaque removal.

Flossing

This might be an extremely tedious task, but it’s something which you need to do if you want to get rid of plaque which starts gum diseases. Plaque accumulates along the gumline and in tiny crevices in between teeth. When this happens, the plaque turn into tartar in as few as 24 hours, a substance which is toxic to the gums, and can lead to infections such as gingivitis and periodontitis.

Mouthwash

For those who lack the needed dexterity to floss their teeth, mouth rinsing is an acceptable alternative although the benefits of using mouthwash is increased when one also flosses at the same time. If you do decide to use mouthwash products, make sure that you at least pick out therapeutic ones and not just the cosmetic products which do not carry any dental benefit.

Professional Care

While you can do as much as you want at home, you still need to drop by your dentist’s office every now and then. Your dentist will not only check for cavities, and fill them if he or she does see anything, but at the same time perform deep dental cleaning which includes scraping the accumulated tartar and plaque from the gumline and then smoothening the exposed dental roots to prevent further adherence of plaque.

Sedation Dentist Little Rock AR

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