Posts tagged “flossing”

What Is The Best Way For Patients In London To Floss Their Teeth?

March 26th, 2013

Teeth flossing should form part of your daily oral hygiene routine, to remove excess food debris and plaque trapped between teeth. Our dental hygienist at Devonshire Square Dental Studio is here to provide you with guidance about oral hygiene practice and how best to floss for better oral health.

Healthy flossing technique

Our dentists or dental hygienists can show you how best to floss at a regular dental check-up or when coming for teeth cleaning and scaling. Use about 18 inches of floss per dental arch. Choose a separate and clean part of the floss string to clean each tooth. You do this by wrapping a 1 inch floss section between the two index fingers and inserting it between two teeth.

Move this part of floss gently backwards and forwards along the teeth and gum line in a C shape but not too deep otherwise it may be harmful to the root of the tooth. Use a clean section of the 18 inch of floss to clean each tooth in this manner on both the upper and the lower dental arch. Be careful not to apply too much pressure to the gum tissue.

Types of floss

There are different types of floss available and our hygienist can explain how these work. Some may comprise a single filament or more. Others may be fluoride-containing or may include a hand-held device for ease or for those with dexterity challenges.

Suitability of flossing

People with orthodontic devices and tooth restorations may need to follow particular guidance when flossing or not be able to floss at all.  Bleeding gums may be a sign of oral or gum disease. Advice from the dentist may be necessary if gums persist to bleed when brushing teeth and flossing. To book an appointment with one of our hygienists please contact the team at Devonshire Square Dental Studio in London.

 

 

 

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Flossing Or Interdental Brushing For Patients In Central London

October 6th, 2012

Flossing and interdental brushing form part of a good oral hygiene regime. Dentists will advise when best to use either dental floss or an interdental brush, and on the most appropriate technique. Where dental devices or restorations are present, an interdental brush may be more suitable than floss.

The difference between floss and an interdental brush

Floss is made of a collection of nylon fibres or a plastic thread. The thread is held between the fingers and inserted between and around each tooth to remove all debris and plaque. Some flossing disposable devices have a small plastic handle that may be held during flossing.

Interdental brushes comprise a tiny bristled head attached to a plastic handle, similar to the handle of a toothbrush. The bristled head comes in different sizes, attaches to the handle and is replaceable. Individuals hold the interdental brush handle while moving the bristles between and around the teeth, cleansing the surfaces between teeth and just below the gum line.

Dental flossing technique

Take a piece of dental floss, about 18 inches in length. Wrap the floss around the each index finger and gradually insert it between the teeth starting at one end of the upper dental arch. Clean each tooth, ensuring the floss gently moves in a C curve between and around the tooth and gum line. Use a fresh part of the 18 inch piece of floss per tooth. When the upper dental arch is complete, get another 18 inch piece of floss and repeat the action for the lower dental arch.

Interdental brushing technique

Use the right choice of brush head and to place it gently between the teeth, carefully removing it along with stuck food debris and sticky plaque. Repeat the action for each tooth so that any bacteria-attracting agents are removed to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. If you would like you would like to know more about oral hygiene please contact the team at Devonshire Square Dental Studio in the city of London.

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The Importance of Flossing for People in London to Ensure Good Health

February 28th, 2012

Flossing removes plaque from between the teeth before it hardens into tartar. Once tartar has hardened it cannot be removed with brushing alone. Plaque is the sticky substance found in the mouth, which consists of oral mucous, natural bacteria and food particles that attach to the teeth and gums. If left to accrue, plaque hardens into tartar that can inflame the gums and cause gingivitis, which is the start of gum disease and can require treatment at dentists providing for patients from London.

Reasons why we should floss

  • To prevent plaque build-up hardening into tartar.
  • To control bacterial growth that may escalate triggering autoimmune response, which degenerates gum tissue, causing tooth and facial tone loss.
  • To prevent gum disease that can develop into periodontal, neurological and cardiac disease, which are all detrimental to overall health and well-being.
  • For a healthy beautiful clean smile, without bad breath.

How to floss

Floss comes in different flavours and textures, such as waxed or unwaxed and as part of oral devices too. There are a number of options to choose from for a flossing experience that best suites your sensitivities. Some use floss holders instead of their fingers. Ask your dental hygienist or dentist how best to floss.

General flossing steps you can follow include:

  • Grip about an 18-inch length of floss between your thumb of one hand and index finger of the other hand (some people use their middle fingers).
  • Start at one side of the lower mouth, either left or right, and gently curve the floss around each tooth, moving the piece of floss along both sides of every tooth, reaching the gumline.
  • Shift the floss along so that you use clean parts of floss to slide up and down until all lower teeth are done from side to side.
  • Then repeat the same procedure for the upper teeth.
  • Now rinse your mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash that helps to keep bacterial growth under control and prevent infection.

When to floss

Flossing should form part of our daily oral hygiene habit, along with teeth-brushing and especially after a meal when food is caught between the teeth. Regular visits to the dentist for check-ups are also recommended, so that plaque-causing tartar can be removed through scaling if necessary.

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Your City of London Dentist is Here To Help You Know The 5 Do’s of Oral Hygiene

October 5th, 2011

When it comes to oral health, we all have our own habits that we’ve picked up from our parents – or come up with our own over time. But, what things should we keep in mind when we go to brush our teeth in the morning and before we go to bed? Should we brush more than twice a day?

This quick summary of dental do’s is here to help you develop good habits and maybe take you away from some unhelpful ones.

Flossing

While not an uncommon thing for people to do, there are still many who don’t regularly floss. Over recent years flossing has become more and more important and most dentists strongly urge their patients to floss every time they brush their teeth.

Twice or Three Times a Day?

While it can be helpful to your oral health to brush every time you eat, brushing too often can actually do more damage than good. Brushing with a heavy hand can damage gums (I’m sure everyone has found bleeding gums while brushing at some point or another) and can also slowly wear away the enamel of the tooth.

Swilling after Brushing

Just about everyone swills their mouths after brushing their teeth; getting rid of any leftover tooth paste just seems the sensible thing to do. But it can actually be beneficial to leave a the small amount of toothpaste in your mouth to protect teeth for longer. This isn’t recommended for all tooth paste brands, however, and those with a very strong fluoride concentration shouldn’t be used in this way.

Brushing Before or After Meals

It might seem sensible to brush after meals to remove any leftover food particles, but quite often it’s a better idea to brush before meals and floss afterwards. Brushing before meals can protect teeth from damage for a short time, making it very useful to do just before a meal.

Fruit is Good for Teeth

Some fruits can be good for teeth. However, certain fruits, specifically citrus fruits, can be very damaging to teeth. Fruits such as oranges and lemons are very acidic and other fruits, such as apples, that have large amounts of natural sugars can be damaging to teeth as well.

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Beat bad breath thanks to your London City dentist

March 4th, 2011

Employing proper tongue cleaning techniques can instantly freshen breath

Morning breath is only ever acceptable in the morning, in that space of time between waking up and heading to the bathroom to brush your teeth, but every day, a reported 45 percent of people in the world suffer from chronic bad breath, or halitosis.

Halitosis is caused by a combination of certain foods, dry mouth and bacteria found in the mouth. Most halitosis is a result of bacteria found in the mouth. The best way to treat bacteria-caused halitosis is with thorough cleaning of the entire mouth.

A variety of products exist to help keep halitosis under control including mouth wash, chewy, breath mints and toothpaste. Utilising these tools and incorporating another tool, the tongue scraper is a proven method for eliminating halitosis.

If you suffer from halitosis, you should brush your teeth at least twice a day with a toothpaste that contains fluoride, dentists suggest. In addition, brushing your tongue will help with halitosis. You can do this with your toothbrush or with a tongue scraper. Tongue scrapers can be purchased individually or they can be found on the undersides of some toothbrushes.

Thorough and regular flossing will also help prevent halitosis as this will remove lodged food that has been wedged between your teeth. Mouthwashes with low alcohol content and that contain chlorine dioxide are also effective at eliminating halitosis, as is paying a visit to your dental hygienist frequently.

Tongue cleaning is a proven method for eliminating and preventing halitosis as it directly removes bacteria from the mouth. When cleaning your tongue, you should clean as far back on your tongue as you can. Be advised, this may make you gag the first few times you do it, but over time, your gag reflex will lessen.

As discussed, you can purchase a tongue scraper to aid in removing bacteria from your tongue. A tongue scraper is a plastic strip that can be fashioned to form a loop. You place the loop on your tongue and pull gently, scraping it across the surface of your tongue until it comes off. It will bring any bacteria present on your tongue with it. Repeat this step until you have removed all the bacteria you can. Finish the process by thoroughly rinsing your mouth with mouthwash.

Looking for a London dentist? City of London dentists are here to help.

Halitosis, although a common problem, does not have to be your problem. Consider implementing the methods discussed and thoroughly cleaning your tongue to eliminate and prevent halitosis.

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Bishopsgate London dentists offer expert advice on brushing and flossing

December 6th, 2010

Brushing and flossing advice from Bishopsgate London ensures good oral hygiene

Having a healthy mouth makes a number of activities which you might take for granted so much easier.  Your mouth is designed in a specific way so that all the parts work together.  If your teeth or gums develop a condition it could make it more difficult to eat and drink.  The first and easiest step that you can take to be sure of good oral hygiene is to be sure to brush and floss in the correct fashion.

You ought to be brushing at least twice a day for around three minutes each time.  Sometimes you might wish to also brush after a meal, especially if it was especially sugary or starchy.  This is so that plaque is unable to build up on the teeth.  Plaque compromises the enamel which is the hard substance that protects your teeth.  It doesn’t take long for plaque to form after a meal so it is important that plaque is not left to develop.

Be sure not to brush too vigorously as this can damage the gums themselves.  Use a fluoride tooth paste because the fluoride actually helps to strengthen enamel and seek to brush all the parts of your mouth that you can.

Brushing should always be done in combination with flossing.  Your tooth brush will be unable to reach every single part of your mouth and plaque is able to build up between the teeth unless it is removed by dental floss or tape.  If you have not flossed before then you might experience a little bleeding as the floss creates small lacerations in the gum.  This is nothing to worry about unless it persists and you should continue to floss.

Looking for a cosmetic dentist? City of London dentists are here to help

Ask your Bishopsgate London dentist for more advice if you are not sure about any aspect of how to take care of your teeth at home.

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Improve your oral health with advice on chewing gum benefits from London dentists

October 8th, 2010

London dentists advise on chewing gum benefits to enhance oral hygiene

Fresh breath is not the only benefit that chewing gum can give you.  It is an activity that can really help your oral hygiene.  It is one of the simplest ways to achieve increased production of saliva which helps to protect your teeth from being damaged by build ups of plaque.

Having fresh breath can increase your confidence in social occasions by ensuring that you are not worried about the smell of your breath while talking and smiling.  Chewing gum is an easy and convenient way to achieve this and can be pleasurable by increasing saliva production and combatting any uncomfortable sensation of having a dry mouth.

When you eat sugary and starchy foods, the acids which are produced in the mouth form into plaque.  Plaque breaks down your teeth’s natural defence, enamel and can lead to cavities and painful tooth decay.  Saliva is another of your mouth’s natural defences as it neutralizes these harmful acids.  You can produce saliva by chewing gum.

Another chewing gum benefit is that it actually helps to clean your teeth.  Of course it is no substitute for brushing and flossing but you might find yourself in a situation without access to your brush and chewing gum will be the next best thing for after dinner at a party, for example.  The activity of chewing means that some debris will be moved from the teeth and gums and plaque finds it more difficult to form.

Chewing gum also helps teeth to retain a degree of whiteness by preventing stains from taking hold.

Looking for a cosmetic dentist? City of London dentists are here to help

Your London dentist can advise you which of the chewing gums on the market are best for enhancing your oral hygiene.

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Bishopsgate London dentists give advice on brushing and flossing

October 4th, 2010

Get more information about brushing and flossing from Bishopsgate London dentists

Although have a check up with your dentist every six months is hugely important, it is just as vital that you take excellent care of your teeth and gums at home in your everyday life.  In order to do this you should pursue the recommended regime of brushing and flossing that will help to keep gum disease and tooth decay at bay.

You should brush your teeth at least twice a day to stop the build up of plaque.  Plaque forms from the sugary and starchy foods we eat and attacks the enamel which protects our teeth.  Just brushing your teeth once a day will not be enough as plaque takes four to twelve hours to form.  An even better solution is to brush your teeth after every meal, especially if it was particularly sugary or starchy.

Fluoride toothpastes are ideal because they actually help to strengthen enamel.  You ought to brush for about three minutes and use a soft-bristled brush.  An overly vigorous technique or an especially hard brush can damage your gums and, in time, wear down your enamel and leave your teeth more exposed.

Flossing is important too because it reaches and cleans parts of your mouth which brushes cannot.  Floss is made from thin nylon or Teflon and is pulled between the teeth to remove plaque and debris which can form there too.  If you are not a regular user of floss and begin using it you find your gums become a little sore or even bleed but this will pass.

Looking for a cosmetic dentist? City of London dentists are here to help

Contact your Bishopsgate London dentist for more advice how brushing and flossing helps maintain good oral hygiene.

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