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Oral Hygiene Basics

At Always Beautiful Smile and Paramus Dental Arts, we help patients throughout Brooklyn to stay in excellent oral health. With a focus on preventative care, we take the time to get to know each of our patients, creating a plan for lifelong oral health. With only one set of permanent adult teeth, it is important to care for them and be proactive in taking the steps to prevent cavities, infections, and gum disease.

We recommend that you visit our dental clinic for a teeth cleaning twice a year so that we can remove plaque buildup and tartar, keeping your mouth healthy and clean. To schedule an appointment in Brooklyn NY call (440) 659-1455. If you live in Paramus NJ call Parmaus Dental Arts at (201) 845-5533. In the meantime, here are steps that you can take at home to keep your mouth healthy.

Brush Properly

How to brush your teeth properly

As a dentist, we know that how you brush your teeth is just as important as how often you brush them. It is important that you use a soft toothbrush that will not irritate your gums or cause the enamel on your teeth to erode. Many people make the mistake of thinking that a hard toothbrush is necessary for keeping teeth clean, but this is not the case. As long as you brush correctly a soft toothbrush will work equally well without damaging your teeth. Be sure to brush your teeth in a circular pattern, starting at the gum line and working your way towards the center of your mouth. This will move food particles, bacteria, and plaque away from your gum line. Brush your teeth in quadrants and be sure to brush each section for at least thirty seconds. While brushing you should apply even pressure but not be too aggressive.

You should also use fluoride toothpaste since this will provide additional protection from cavities. We recommend that you brush three times a day – morning, after lunch, and before bed. This will keep your mouth clean without causing irritation from over-brushing. Additionally, be sure to buy a new toothbrush every three months or sooner if your bristles are frayed or your toothbrush is stained or smelling.

Flossing

Flossing is essential for your teeth and gums

At Always Beautiful Smile and Paramus Dental Arts, we remind our patients that it is critical to floss on a daily basis. If you live in the Brooklyn Ny or Paramus NJ areas and have not been to the dentist lately, we invite you to schedule an appointment so that we can clean your teeth and remove the plaque and bacteria from hard to reach places.

Afterward, it is up to you to floss on a daily basis to remove food particles and plaque from in between your teeth. If they remain in place, you can develop gum disease which is both uncomfortable and dangerous to your oral and overall health. Gum disease occurs when plaque forms underneath the gum line and not flossing can lead to this. If you do not particularly enjoy flossing, buy a plastic flossing tool that you can hold and throw away once done. This makes it easier to get the job done.

Mouthwash

Selecting the right mouthwash

When you use mouthwash, it is important to be sure that it is sugar-free. We also recommend using mouthwash that contains fluoride since this will help to kill any lingering bacteria while strengthening your teeth.

Carry a bottle of mouthwash with you and rinse your mouth with it after meals, drinking a soda, or consuming coffee. As  dentists’, we understand that it is difficult to brush more than a couple of times per day. Rinsing your mouth, however, is relatively easy, and everyone has time for it. Taking this simple step can help to reduce your risk of cavities and gum disease.

Decay

How to prevent tooth decay

Our teams at Always Beautiful Smile and Paramus Dental Arts prevent tooth decay every day by helping out patients to have clean and healthy teeth. Tooth decay starts when plaque is left on the teeth, and the acid inside of it starts to eat away at the enamel. Keeping teeth clean by removing plaque, therefore, prevents tooth decay.

Simultaneously, at home you can continue to brush your teeth and floss after meals. If you do not have anything with you, rinse your mouth with water. This will help to remove some of the loose food particles that may be in your mouth or to remove some of the sugar from your teeth. You should also eat a healthy diet since everything that you eat is directly placed onto your teeth.

Fluoride

What you should know about getting a fluoride treatment

At Always Beautiful Smile and Paramus Dental Arts, we are family dentist clinics that use fluoride on a regular basis. We recommend that all of our youth patients under the age of eighteen have a fluoride treatment, at least once a year. Statistically, these treatments reduce the risk of getting cavities by 30 percent.

This is significant considering that tooth decay is one of the primary reasons children miss days from school. Adults can also benefit from receiving a fluoride treatment and if you would like to find out if it is right for you, call (440) 659-1455 to schedule an appointment in our Brooklyn NY clinic.  If you live in Paramus, call our sister clinic Paramus Dental Arts at (201) 845-5533 and schedule an appointment. The treatment itself only takes a couple of minutes. The fluoride is applied directly to the teeth. It has no odor or smell and after a few minutes, patients are free to leave. It is one of the easiest ways to prevent cavities.

Toothbrush

How to select the right toothbrush

Patients of our general dentist clinic are given a toothbrush at each visit. We recommend that you use it for three months and then replace it. When purchasing a toothbrush, look for a soft one that will not irritate your gums or erode your enamel. Otherwise, we suggest a battery operated or electric toothbrush since they can give you the best clean.

The toothbrush head rotates while you are moving the brush around, helping you to break up more plaque for the cleanest possible teeth.til you go through the necessary treatment to eliminate the gum disease. Healthy gums are critical for this procedure since we need to cut into the gums to place the metal implant. Any existing infection can decrease the success rate of the procedure and extend your recovery process. When you visit our Brooklyn dental clinic, we will let you know if we discover any signs of gum disease and present you with a treatment plan to address it.

Food

Food and drinks that you should avoid

As a family dentist clinic, we recommend that you avoid drinking too much soda, juice, coffee or anything that contains a lot of sugar. You should also stay away from candy, desserts, and particularly sour candy. Additionally, acidic fruit is bad for your teeth. Any time that you have a diet that is high in sugar and starch it is bad for your teeth because the bacteria on your teeth will thrive in this environment.

Simultaneously, when you eat foods that are highly acidic, it can lead to enamel erosion. At Always Beautiful Smile, we recommend that you eat a diet high in green leafy vegetables, lean protein, dairy, and nuts since they can help to remineralize and strengthen your teeth. For more tips on how to eat a mouth-healthy diet, call (440) 659-1455  in our Brooklyn clinic and schedule an appointment to speak with Dr. Margarita Degtyareva.  Or if you live in Paramus NJ call our sister clinic, Paramus Dental Arts at (201) 845-5533 and ask to speak to Dr. Olga Degtyareva.

At our dentist clinic, our top priority is the health and well-being of our patients. We strive to provide the highest quality dental care in a comfortable and welcoming environment. We would be delighted to welcome you to our clinic and help you achieve your best possible smile. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.

Schedule your appointment today. Call us now! (440) 659-1455

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