FAQ

The brand of the toothbrush is less important than the type of brush, and how often you brush your teeth.  We recommend that you have a soft bristle brush, mechanical is best.  This type of brush will effectively remove plaque and a soft brush will be kinder to your gums.  We also recommend that you brush at least twice a day.  The condition of your brush is also important, when the bristles begin to bend over it is time to start using a new brush.  In this bent condition, the brush loses the ability to remove food and plaque, it is the tip of the bristles that clean your teeth the best.

Dental enamel is hard but acid can break enamel down to cause decay.  Sugar plus the bacteria in plaque form an acid.  Plaque forms on your teeth daily.  This sugar acid causes the enamel and speeding up the natural “remineralization” process.  This keeps your teeth strong and healthy.  Fluoride also fights cavities by reducing the amount of acids that are produced by plaque.

Tooth sensitivity is often experienced when the surface of the tooth has been worn down.  One of the most common reasons for adults is that the roots of the teeth are exposed because the gums are receding.  This allows the effect of heat and cold to aggravate exposed nerve endings on roots.  The problem gets worse as you tend not to brush your teeth properly.  If you are experiencing pain or sensitivity, let us know so we can assess your situation and recommend the best treatment for your discomfort.

There are a few things that you should keep us informed about in order to ensure that we are most effective when treating you.  Please keep us informed about:

• whether your teeth or gums are more sensitive to heat, cold or sweets
• any changes in your gums, such as changes in color, tenderness or bleeding when you brush of floss
• whether your floss catches on rough edges of teeth that causes the floss to tear
• any changes in the skin on the inside of your mouth, such as changes in color
• if you clench or grind your teeth, or if your neck and jaw muscles are tense or sore
• inform us of any allergies you have
• if you are pregnant
• any medicine has changed since your last check-up
• any health problems or medical condition that you are being treated for
• any other changes in your general health

Gum disease is very common, chances are that gum disease will effect most people at some time in their lives.  It is the most common dental problem, and it can progress quite painlessly until you have a serious problem.  The end result is bone loss and the loss of teeth.  Even though you may brush and floss regularly, regular visits to the dentist will help detect gum disease in the early stages.

If you already have gum disease, getting rid of plaque and tartar gives your gums a chance to get better.  That’s why in the early stages ofn gum disease, the best treatment is:

• regular cleanings in our practice
• brushing twice a day
• flossing twice a day

Many people suffer from bad breath; in fact, 40% of the population have problems with bad breath at some time in their lives.  Some reasons for bad breath may be:

• poor dental hygiene
• eating certain foods, such as garlic or onions
• smoking
• chewing tobacco
• diseases, such as cancer or diabetes
• dry mouth (often called morning breath)

You can help reduce the incidence of bad breath by brushing and flossing each day to remove plaque.  By avoiding certain foods you can also eliminate a lot of bad breath problems.  If you wear a denture or removable partial denture, it is important to clean it thoroughly everyday and remove it at night so your mouth tissues can restore themselves daily.  If a bad breath problem persists then let us know and we will try to discover what the problem is and recommend possible solutions.

Absolutely, we do see children.  We start dental visits at three years of age unless the parent has a concern they would like for us to see.  We are committed to making dental visits as pleasant as possible to encourage a lifetime of preventive dental care.  We have patients from 3 years of age to 100.