Dental Hygiene

You will often hear dental offices refer to “dental hygiene,” but what does that really mean?

This actually may be the most important topic there is when it comes to the health of your mouth. It is what you can do to keep problems from developing and the role Garden Grove Dental & Orthodontics needs to play to support your periodontal health, especially in prevention.

Unfortunately, few of us were taught much about the importance of this when we were growing up, beyond “brush your teeth and floss so you don’t get cavities.” It seemed to just be all about avoiding the pain of cavities with a filling. Of course, many of us had overcrowded or crooked teeth and needed braces to even be able to clean them properly.

As adults, we were surprised to learn that unless we use a soft brush to stroke the front and back of each tooth from the gum to the top for two full minutes twice a day (ideally after breakfast and dinner) and floss at the end of the day, a gum infection would take hold, the gums would pull away from the tooth, which would eventually fall out.

Even the most diligent in practicing correct brushing and flossing, however, can’t easily clean hard-to-reach places and it is essential to get a professional cleaning from our dental hygienist at least twice a year. She has the tools, techniques, and antibacterial solutions to remove not only plaque (the bacterial film that forms around food particles that have not been brushed off), but its hardened form, called tartar.

We were also shocked to find out that periodontal bacteria, which spread throughout the body, significantly raise the risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and even Alzheimer’s.

To catch problems early on, the American Dental Association recommends a full dental examination for every patient twice a year. This may include a digital x-ray (which involves minimal radiation) in order to check the underlying jawbone, to be sure an infection has not eaten away at the jawbone.

If you follow these guidelines for good dental hygiene, you will save money, avoid pain, and have a happier, healthier mouth.