Dental Hygiene: Rules of Tooth 2009

[amileegirl]

This was inspired from one of my groups' discussion about toothpastes and baking soda a year ago so I thought I'd revive it.    

I thought that I'd share some of what I know and do.    I've never had a cavity.   I have had gingivitis whenever I've slacked off, but get that quickly under control once I scold myself and resume good practices.   When I follow my own rules I have a happy mouth, when I don't I notice the issues right away.      So these are my routines and opinions (no I'm not nor ever have been a dentist).

A lot of early tooth damage and gum problems can be reversed if dilligent care is taken.   The mouth and teeth are self-repairing if given half the chance.   I know people think I'm crazy when I say that oral hygiene starts in infancy even before teeth.   They now sell finger brushes for gum stimulation to make brushing teeth much easier as the baby grows into a toddler!    Flossing should start as soon as there are teeth to floss between  and the child can understand a simple directon like "open your mouth" (even if there are only two teeth and you only take a second) -- a child's head can be laid in the lap and the teeth can be flossed.   That never happened when I grew up and I wish it had.t

Table of Contents:
The Toothbrush
How to Brush
Baking Soda as a Dentrifice
Dentrifices (aka Toothpastes)
Floss and other Dental Accessories
Mouthwashes and Rinses
Tongue Scrapers

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The Toothbrush

I'm an experimenter and I like to try things and if its one thing I've learned is that the huge fancy colorful technologically advanced brushes don't do a better job at anything except emptying your wallet.  Some of them are so big they don't manuver in the mouth very well and don't even fit in the toothbrush holder!     The best toothbrushes are the ones with the small heads with soft rounded bristles set at different heights.      It's small enough that you can concentrate on each tooth, soft and flexible so it can get under the gums without hurting, and best of all it is usually free or no more than a dollar fifty.   Never buy a brush with higher than soft bristles (unless you intend to use it to scrub grout).     If you are going to spend money on a fancy brush then I'd get the one with the 2 minute timer in the handle and forget about the other stuff.   But, hey, if you want a brush that has wings, whistles dixie, and does the Macarena...go head.  I personally don't like automatic toothbrushes but some people adore them.  Just make sure the bristles are soft and use a light hand.

Replace your toothbrush preferably every 3-4 months and I wouldn't go more than 6.  The bristles do wear out.

Disinfect your toothbrush at least once a week preferably daily.   Look...not to be gross...but where do we keep our toothbrushes?   It's not exactly sanitary central.    I let my brush run under super hot water after each session, and once a week I'll put a drop of tea tree oil on it or dip it in a water peroxide mix.   You can find something that works for you. 

 

How to Brush

Before I get into the dentrifices (toothpastes/powders), I've read how when people have used baking soda to brush their teeth cut themselves and their gums hurt (some people do have sensitivity to baking soda but most people don't).  Other people claim that you'll wear away your enamel.   Look people...it's not the baking soda it's YOU.       You are brushing your teeth not scraping scum from a rusty, scummy lead pipe.   Teeth should be polished gently not scrubbed harshly!     The baking soda should be diluted fully with a bit of water and your saliva--it shouldn't be loaded on the brush as if you were trying to replicate sandpaper.    

The most pressure you should be applying to your brush is the amount you can apply only holding  your toothbrush between your thumb and ring finger which isn't very much!     If you look at your brush and you see that your bristles are smashed and mishapen and flare out, you are brushing way too hard and are probably causing your gums to receed--baking soda or no baking soda.       Gums should't bleed when you brush and if you are stopping because you bleed you are just going to exacerbate the problem...brush gently and often!  If you have sensitive teeth you may need a special toothpaste for a while.

Brush for at least two minutes.   And by brush I mean gentle polishing with the brush angled toward the gumline.   That about 25 seconds for your upper and lowers on each side and your fronts.   The front teeth are probably the cleanest in your whole mouth.   Most people sped less than 20 seconds brushing their whole mouth and 15 seconds of that is usually on the front teeth (yes, I've been a slacker and I've had to make a conscious effort)   Time yourself and see how long your typical brushing session is and you'll be surprised.     We ALL slack off; so just be aware and get back on the horse.

You don't have to brush in the bathroom.  If you are the type that gets bored easily its fine to multitask.  Wander around the house, watch some tv, do it in the shower...as long as you do it it doesn't have to be nailed to one spot.

 

Baking Soda as a Dentrifice

Yes, I like baking soda to clean my teeth from time to time.   It's efficient and cheap.  However, it doesn't taste good.  I can deal with it because I'm used to it and I keep my tongue out of the way by practically shoving it down my own throat (but that's just me).    I either use:

1. straight baking soda
2.  75% baking soda to 25% salt ratio

Salt is very good for bleeding gums by the way--I recommend for first time flossers.  A salt water rinse is an old remedy for when children lose their baby teeth -- but it tastes nasty just to warn you.    If I'm feeling especially frisky I'll mix in some xylitol powder to help the taste (its sweet but mouth bacteria don't like it).  You can also add in some mint or cinnamon flavoring if you want to get fancy.   Sometimes I'll make a paste of baking soda and peroxide.  My aim is always for bacteria eradication.       Since you make this yourself, you can do whatever you want.

Be careful with baking soda.   It is an abrasive so don't rub it on your teeth like you are sandpapering wood!   Use it diluted (a slurry like consistency).  You only need enough to do the job, and its job is to neutralize acids and gently remove surface plaque.  You don't need a lot - a little dab'll do ya!    The idea when you use baking soda is that most of the work is done by your own saliva and a wet, soft brush.  It's not a tooth polish so don't use it like one!

 

Dentrifices (aka Toothpastes)

You can brush your teeth with good old plain water or even a dry brush, and do yourself fine.   This is why I have a "change up" routine.    I have a specific agenda when I brush my teeth and number 1 is killing the bacteria that cause the problems.   Sugar and soda acid don't erode teeth, the bacteria that feed on those things and live in your mouth do.  No bacteria, no plaque--no plaque, no colonies--no colonies, no problem.    So that's what my routine focuses on, not on the paste. 

I look for things that will;
A.  neutralize acid  
B.  encourage saliva production 
C.  encourage tooth remineralization (teeth mineralize and demineralize constantly)  
D.  doesn't linger in my mouth forever
E.  doesn't burn...ever...

Pastes or powders...it doesn't matter to me.    As a general rule, I don't let the labels "extra whitening" or "whitening" or "fresh and sparkling" or "bubble action"  influence me.    It's all a marketing ploy and they don't have enough concentration to do the whitening job they claim.   I look for specific things at different times, so I don't care about the frilly packaging.   

What have I used?   There was a suspcious spot on one of my back molars and so  I was using the Arm & Hammer Enamel Care brand and prior to that I was using a Mentadent temporarily.   Both of these have a specific ingredient that I was looking for to encourage tooth remineralization called Amorphous calcium phosphate--unfortunately they weren't flouride free but I was only using them on a very temporary basis.  There another ingredient called Recaldent that can do the same thing but is was not available in the prodcuts I had access too at the time.  So, I don't care about the product name.   It's only recently that they've started to market this ingredient as "liquid calcium" (its been in the market since 1999) if you've ever heard of it at all.    Mentadent lingered too long in my mouth and I didn't like it.   The Arm and Hammer much less so.      Here is a report on the substance:   Amorphous Calcicum Phosphate

Did it help?   Well the spot looks much better and I'm happyand stopped using the toothpaste.  Did the toothpaste making it better?  Maybe yes, maybe no--but it didn't hurt.    Other than that, I nearly always go for a natural, organic, flouride free  toothpaste because my husband will use it too.  Once in a blue moon I can't get flouride free.  A couple of times a week I'll just use my baking soda mix and occasionally the teeniest tiniest dibble-dab-dot of tea tree oil in it if I notice some odor on my brush.

Less is More!   Brush with a pea-sized bit of toothpaste.   Most people load their brushes up way too much because they always show in advertisings this huge pretty s-shaped glob of paste on the brush.  That's just a waste because nearly all of it will get spit out because you can't hold that much in your mouth.   If you spit and there is a glob of toothpaste in the sink, that's just a waste isn't it?

Why flouride free?  Well, for one flouride is a poison.  I suppose the idea is that having fouridated teeth makes them stronger against cavities, but really why not just kill the bacteria!?    For another in children it can cause dental flourosis. The most mild form are the mystery white streaks on teeth, the most severe are brown spots and pits.    I've got mystery white streaks on my teeth and I never knew what they were...I got flouride supplements as a child when my tooth enamal was forming and the drinking water was flouridated.  In other words, my front teeth show that I had a flouride overdose.

Floss and other Dental Accessories

Yes, flossing a pain in the tush.  Yes, your gums bleed a little when you first start but it'll stop in a few days.  Yes, it takes time.   Is it worth it?  YES YES YES.       YES, we all slack off.  Tsk Tsk,

I am a lover and hater of flossing.   I love it for what it does for the health of my teeth and gums and I hate it becuase I'm just lazy and don't want to do it.    Let me tell you that when I don't floss I notice a difference.  The toothbrush can't get between teeth.   Many people stop flossing because they "never get anything".    Exactly!   You want to keep it that way!    What you want to see on your floss is NOTHING what you don't want to see is white goop...ewww.        I recommend flossing in the morning after you eat, and again at night before bed.   If you can only do it once a day then do it before bed.

Dental Tape vs Dental Floss     I like tape.  Plain unwaxed unminted natural tape.   I think it gives a better grip opens wide and polishes better.  I tend to hurt myself with floss especially waxed floss.  But that's just my opinion.      Any kind will do.   If the taste of minted floss makes you feel good go for it.  If the fancy one that is infused with toothpaste tickles you, knock yourself out!   You can even buy those fancy pre-strung flosser things.    It's you who are going to provide the ...uh...knuckle grease...so it really doesn' t matter.   If your teeth are really packed tight together you may have an easier time with floss vs. tape. 

Dental Picks and Waterpicks     I keep dental picks and dental tape in my car.  I don't own a water pick, but I heard that they are great for those who have difficulty with floss and who have periodontal disease as it really gets under the gumline to clean up and give the gums a fighting chance to heal.

Dental mirrors    Buy one.   They are cheap!    Know your mouth!    I check in my mouth all the time to be sure discolorations from my braces aren't getting worse, that dark spots aren't doing weird things, and that I know what is going on in my own mouth.        This saved me $3000 in unnecessary dental bills from one office I went to who told me I had 6 cavities and gum disease and that I needed scalings to clean my teeth (they hurt me doing the xrays AND during the mouth exam by the way).   Whoa, I only went in for a cleaning!   CRAZY!  I went to another office  and the doctor said that my gums were puffy but that would heal itself if I just got back to my regular routine, and  there was only one small spot on one molar that she was concerned about but she wanted to do a "wait and see" approach since I had no other cavities.  Cost of cleaning $57.   That was two years ago and that spot hasn't done a darn thing.

 

Mouthwashes and Rinses

These aren't a substitute for flossing.   They are good for making your mouth feel fresh and some are built for killing bacteria.   However, I would avoid any that burn your mouth.  I just don't see the correlation between mouthburning and killing bacteria!      I go for more natural rinses and use half a capful (if not less) just to swish around especially before bed (it does the job fine and a bottle lasts me three times as long).    Once or twice a week when I'm being really good I rinse with a very dilute water and peroxide solution and clean my toothbrush with it too. 

Tongue Scrapers

Buy them if you want but I find them to be unnecessary and a waste of money.  You can even buy a fancy toothbrush that has a tongscrubber built on the head if you want.     I just brush my tongue with my tooth brush.    A lot of mouth odor comes from the tongue so, yes..brush it! 

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That's it.    I hadn't been to the dentist in 15 years until two years ago, and they (the good office that wasn't out for my money) were suprised that my only issue was some understandable tartar buildup that was no where near what they would have suspected.  So I must be doing something right!

[jramsaran]

Aug. 20, 2009 at 7:07 PM

my dental hygienist told me that toothpaste was "invented" to make tooth brushing more enjoyable.  my daughter hates toothpaste, so it is good to know that all you really need is a brush and water!!!

[sweetheart1985]

Aug. 20, 2009 at 7:48 PM

Ahhhhh Amileegirl.. I just love ya.

I always look forward to reading your journal posts. They're just so uber informative!

Thanks for the wonderful info!!♥

[sungreen13]

Aug. 21, 2009 at 10:14 AM

this is just plain awesome, just like you mama!

[CJEJFraser00]

Sep. 14, 2009 at 11:01 PM

You seem to be a well imformed momma!  for this I thank you and wish I hadnt bought toothpaste with special stuff in it this morning....now i feel like a loser, LOL  I am off to try some baking soda in my mouth :)

thanks again!

[ebjohnson]

Nov. 1, 2009 at 10:36 PM

I am a dental hygienist, so i enjoyed reading your post!  You are very informed, and for the most part pretty right on!  Great descriptions for those who are not teeth-savy! :)