It is hard to undervalue the role that homecare plays in your oral health. When it comes down to it, the daily acts of brushing and flossing have a tremendous impact upon whether or not tooth decay and gum disease will occur. Therefore, to help you in your efforts of maintaining a healthy mouth, your Waco dentist, Dr. Corbet Locke, is sharing four helpful hints for improving your brushing and flossing.
Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Mouth
- Don’t brush too hard. While you may be tempted to brush your teeth forcefully in an effort to remove plaque, brushing too hard may do more harm than good. Serious abrasion can strip teeth or their enamel, leaving them more vulnerable to bacteria.
- Divide your brushing into phases. When brushing, it is important that you brush every available surface of each tooth. Thus, people sometimes find it useful to divide their brushing into three phases, one for each surface. During phase one, brush the top or biting surface of your teeth. For phase two, brush the back surface, and for phase three, brush the front surface. The order of the phases doesn’t matter so long as you clean all three surfaces
- Floss daily. It’s not much of a tip, but flossing can have a serious impact on your oral health. Dental floss cleans parts of teeth that a toothbrush cannot reach. Flossing can also improve or maintain gum health by removing harmful bacteria from the vicinity of the gums.
- Use the proper amount of dental floss. A good amount of floss to use is 18 inches. By using a long piece of floss, you will be able to use clean sections of floss continually as you work your way through your mouth.
Schedule a Visit with Your Waco General Dentist
When was your last dental cleaning? If it was more than six months ago, you are due for another. Contact our 76172 dental office at 254-776-4888 to schedule an appointment or a consultation with your Waco general dentist, Dr. Locke. We serve patients from Waco, Woodway, McGregor, Hewitt, and surrounding communities.