Cleaning and Prevention in Orlando near Kissimmee, FL

Home Care Practices for Healthier Teeth and Mouth

It starts with what we put into our bodies in terms of consumption. When you were young, you may have heard the saying ‘You are what you eat, this has much truth when it comes to our oral health as well as our overall health. This is because our diet and all the other things we ingest play a part in strengthening or degrading the quality of our smiles. The practice of brushing and flossing your teeth regularly is vital when it comes to maintaining good oral care.

Brushing your teeth should be done with an ADA-approved soft bristle brush paired with quality toothpaste. This is to be done at least twice a day to ensure bacteria and plaque is removed properly from the mouth. By placing the brush at a 45-degree angle to the gums and brushing in a circular motion, you can effectively brush the inner, outer, and biting surfaces of the teeth for proper cleaning. Do note that brushing your tongue should be done every session to make sure bacteria do not build up and cause halitosis or other more serious oral issues. Your dentist in Orlando, FL can provide more oral hygiene techniques during an appointment for teeth cleaning near you.

Flossing goes hand in hand with brushing. This is done to ensure the spaces between your teeth down to your gum line are clear of foreign objects, that may cause damage to your oral health. Proper flossing is done using dental floss, about 12 to 16 inches long. Holding the floss tightly between your thumbs and index fingers, carefully glide it up and down between your teeth to completely clean these spaces between the teeth.

After doing this, always rinse your mouth well to wash the debris away. Some people use supplemental products in their oral care routine. For example, using rubber tip stimulators, interdental brushes, irrigation devices, tongue cleaners, medicated rinses, and fluoride. These are all suitable, but it would be best to get the go-ahead from your dentist on them, to make sure they are appropriate for you specifically.

Why Undergo Dental X-rays?

Having a dental x-ray completed is part of the preventative measures carried out by your dentist. This is done to ensure that you have a clean bill of oral health and that no underlying issues are developing in your mouth. Oftentimes, there may be hidden dental abnormalities and problems behind the smiles of patients. Unfortunately, problems that cannot easily be seen on the surface can develop into the most troublesome problems of all.

Dental problems that are detected in their early stages can spare you costly treatments, pain, and discomfort. Some of the problems that can be shown by a dental x-ray are as follows: bone loss, developmental abnormalities, abscesses or cysts, decay, cancerous and non-cancerous tumors, poor tooth and root conditions, and problems underneath the gum line.

Some people fear getting x-rays taken because of the radiation involved in traditional methods. However, our practice implements digital x-rays to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure. Another added benefit digital x-rays provide is how quickly they are done and able to be reviewed by your dentist within the same appointment.

X-rays are carried out for diagnostic purposes; however, the frequency will depend on your dental health needs. A full mouth series of dental x-rays is carried out for new clients during their first visit and is suitable for up to three years before a new one should be done. As for bite-wing x-rays, those that are done to see the top and bottom of the teeth while biting together, are usually done once or twice a year.

Sometimes, a seemingly good-looking smile may bear pending and troublesome problems that are to be discovered in their late and worse states in the long run. Prevention and maintenance are always the best approaches to keeping your teeth and mouth in their healthiest state.