A beautiful, healthy smile that lasts a lifetime is our ultimate goal when treating patients.  Your personal home care plays an important role in achieving that goal.  Your personal home care starts by eating balanced meals, reducing the number of snacks you eat, and correctly using the various dental aids that help control the plaque and bacteria that cause dental disease.  What you do at home to keep your teeth clean is the most important part of your oral health. 

Tooth brushing – Brush your teeth at least twice a day (especially before going to bed at night) with an approved soft or extra soft bristle brush and toothpaste.

1. Place the brush at a 45 degree angle to the gums and gently jiggle the bristles while pulling the brush to the biting surface of your teeth.  It's important not to scrub or push too hard as it is easy to damage your teeth and gums. 
2. On the biting surfaces of the back teeth a small circular motion will clean the grooves well. 
3. Take your time when toothbrushing.  It should take a couple of minutes to get the job done.  Brush the outer, inner, and biting surfaces of each tooth.
4. Brush your tongue gently to remove bacteria and freshen your breath.

If you are interested in electric toothbrushes, a vibrating one rather than a spinning or oscillating head is preferred.  "Spin" brushes can do a lot of damage to the gums. Simply place the bristles of the electric brush on your teeth and allow the brush to do its job, several teeth at a time.

Flossing – Daily flossing is the best way to clean between the teeth and under the gum line.  Flossing not only helps clean these spaces, it keeps the level of bacterial plaque down and helps prevent cavities in between the teeth.

1. Take 12-16 inches (30-40cm) of dental floss and wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) of floss between the hands.
2. Using your thumbs and forefingers to guide the floss, gently insert the floss between teeth using a sawing motion.
3. Curve the floss into a “C” shape around each tooth and under the gum line.  Gently move the floss up and down, cleaning the side of each tooth.

Floss holders are recommended if you have difficulty using conventional floss and are also helpful for a parent to floss young children's teeth.

Rinsing – It's important to rinse your mouth with water after brushing, and also after meals if you are unable to brush.  Many over-the-counter rinses have a high alcohol content and will actually dry your mouth and can cause irritation.  There are alcohol-free rinses that are a better choice and some that have added fluoride for people at a high risk of cavities.  Talk to your dentist or dental hygienist about what's appropriate for you.  We're here to help.

Use other dental aids as recommended by your dentist or dental hygienist: Interdental brushes, rubber tip stimulators, tongue cleaners, irrigation devices, fluoride, medicated rinses, etc., can all play a role in good dental home care.