Smile with Confidence: A Comprehensive Guide to Dental Health and Care

Flossing

Common Dental Questions, dental care questions and answers, dental health tips, cosmetic and restorative dentistry, dental technology, ask a dentist about flossing

dentist and assistant performing operation

Hard Bristles Versus Soft Bristles

One of the daily health tips every dentist is going to suggest to their patients is to brush their teeth every single day. You are more likely to have a pleasant experience if you find the right toothbrush and this will make it easier for you to stick with the regimen suggested by the dental professional. When you stand in front of the display in the store though it can be difficult to choose just the right toothbrush. Do you need a toothbrush with soft bristles, hard bristles or medium bristles?   It’s important for the toothbrush to feel comfortable. Aside from comfort, are there any benefits to having a toothbrush with soft or hard bristles? Are there any features that makes one a better choice than the other? The answers to these questions might surprise you.

Reasons Why Flossing is Important

Studies reveal that only four out of every ten Americans floss at least once per day, while an astounding 20 percent of the population never flosses at all.  Unfortunately, foregoing the flossing step is a vital part of maintaining healthy teeth and proper oral hygiene.  Flossing helps to clean those hard to reach places between the teeth.  Without flossing, the likelihood of developing cavities significantly increases as food remains lodged between teeth, fostering a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.  For discerning New Jersey residents who are searching for a top dentist, here is what the dental health experts have to say about the importance of flossing.

Common Myths About Dental Care

There are old wives’ tales and urban legends on every topic imaginable.  Once upon a time, household hints and medical tips were passed along from generation to generation and circulated by housewives at a kaffeeklatsch  or via the glossy pages of “Good Housekeeping” magazine.  Through the wonders of the internet, we no longer need to rely on the written words and collection of “how to” tips from our ancestors –  we need only “Google” to get what info we need.  If the solution is dubious, we go to “Snopes” to verify the facts… but, even in this modern age, there are still many myths about dental care that exist.  Wherever do these stories come from?  Many of them are untrue, and simply unbelievable!  Have a look for yourself below:

Foods That are Good for Teeth

If you were to sample a group of people in a large crowd and ask them if they were 100% happy with their teeth the answers would vary. Some might say they don’t like the shape of their teeth, they may mention having too many cavities that resulted in bad fillings, or more commonly the whiteness of their teeth isn’t good enough. Across the board the issues would be cosmetic, but there is a deeper issue below the surface of the teeth. It’s important to be aware of the foods that you consume because it does impact the overall appearance of your teeth. Here you will learn about some foods that are good for your teeth.

Foods that Stain Teeth

Everyone has a guilty pleasure food, but do they wear it on their teeth? If you like hard candies some of us can tell. The more obvious would be blue mouth. You might not have heard it called this, but I bet you know what it is. Someone eats a hard candy that’s blue and when they are finished their teeth and mouth is dyed blue. This will make anyone think twice about enjoying that food in public. More seriously, there are certain foods that will stain your teeth over time. A dental office has tips for reducing stained teeth.

Daily Dental Health Tips

When you visit the dentist, they will have lots of advice on how to protect your oral health. There are several oral hygiene habits that are worth developing and maintaining in your daily health routine. These daily activities can help prevent periodontal diseases and cavities and help you maintain good oral health.

To Floss or Not To Floss

There are good habits and there are bad habits. Flossing your teeth is undoubtedly one of the good ones. In fact, flossing is so beneficial to your teeth that it can be the difference between having your own natural teeth your entire life, and looking at them in a glass on your night stand every night. People who don’t floss have all sorts of reasons for not doing it. It hurts. It makes my gums bleed. It takes too much time. But the fact is that all of these excuses, and pretty much any of the others you can think of, are washed away once you begin flossing regularly … just like the food particles between your teeth. However, if you’re not flossing regularly… those food particles… well, you might as well get used to them because they’re going to be a part of your mouth for a long time, in one form or another. It might sound like an overstatement, but it isn’t. Food particles that linger between teeth cause bacteria to linger on teeth, and that can be a dental recipe for disaster. The good news is that flossing takes just a few minutes a day, and once you start, you can’t stop. Your teeth feel so much cleaner when you floss daily that you’ll feel it when you don’t do it. Flossing becomes a good habit that you just can’t break, and you won’t want to. Here’s more information from top dentists about the benefits of flossing.