How to Maintain Proper Oral Hygiene

No one doubts the need for brushing their teeth. Most parents teach their children to brush after every meal, and before bedtime. Over time, brushing your teeth became a daily routine. Later, the dentist introduced you to flossing, telling you that it was necessary to maintain proper oral hygiene.

Still, not everyone follows the basic dental guidelines of brushing and flossing. Some brush three times a day or more, but don’t floss. Others brush their teeth in the morning and maybe at night, and floss every once in a while. Many people visit the dentist twice a year as recommended, but others limit their visits to emergency situations, including toothaches or chipping of the teeth.

To maintain proper oral hygiene, it’s important to brush and floss a minimum of three times a day as a routine. Flossing helps you to reach the undetected morsels of food that get caught between your teeth. It’s equally as important to find a good dentist who will not only provide you with care in emergencies, but will help you be pro-active in your dental care.

Tooth decay is caused when plaque builds up and becomes tartar. Plaque is a bacteria that forms on the teeth when a combination of saliva, foods and fluid collect on the teeth and where the teeth and gums meet. Plaque begins to form as early as four hours after brushing. The buildup of plaque over time hardens into tartar – also referred to as calculus. Tartar is can’t be removed by brushing. Only a dentist can remove these crusty, yellowish deposits.

One goal in good oral hygiene is to eliminate plaque and prevent tartar by brushing regularly, using a tartar-control toothpaste and having your teeth cleaned twice a year.

To learn more about maintaining proper oral hygiene, contact Dr. Vladimir Gashinsky – a holistic dentist in Millburn, New Jersey. You can also visit his website at www.drgdds.com and follow him on Twitter and Facebook.