How To Use An Electric Toothbrush Correctly

This video shows how to properly use electric toothbrushes to effectively and thoroughly clean teeth without damaging gums.

Knowing how to use an electric toothbrush is one of the biggest factors in making sure your teeth and gums are benefitting from the investment. If you understand how to use an electric toothbrush properly, you’ll usually see a drop in plaque buildup and bleeding gums. They just make your teeth cleaner. Handle them gently, allowing the bristles to do all the work for you. Don’t push or press, because it will do more harm than good. Yes, electric brushes are a financial investment, but if you can get past the vibrating sensations, they’ll be one of the best things you ever did for your smile!

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Did You Know There is More Than One Type of Floss?

A variety of dental flosses are commonly available. Floss is available in many forms including waxed, unwaxed monofilaments and multifilaments. Dental floss that is made of monofilaments coated in wax slides easily between teeth, does not fray and is generally higher in cost than its uncoated counterparts. The most important difference between available dental flosses is thickness. Waxed and unwaxed floss are available in varying widths. Studies have shown that there is no difference in the effectiveness of waxed and unwaxed dental floss, but some waxed types of dental floss are said to contain antibacterial agents and/or sodium fluoride. Factors to consider in choosing a floss include the amount of space between teeth and user preference. Dental tape is a type of floss that is wider and flatter than conventional floss. Dental tape is recommended for people with larger tooth surface area.

The ability of different types of dental floss to remove dental plaque does not vary significantly; the least expensive floss has essentially the same impact on oral hygiene as the most expensive.

Factors to be considered when choosing the right floss or whether the use of floss as an interdental cleaning device is appropriate may be based on:

• The tightness of the contact area: determines the width of floss
• The contour of the gingival tissue
• The roughness of the interproximal surface
• The user's manual dexterity and preference: to determine if a supplemental device is required

Specialized plastic wands, or floss picks, have been produced to hold the floss. These may be attached to or separate from a floss dispenser. While wands do not pinch fingers like regular floss can, using a wand may be awkward and can also make it difficult to floss at all the angles possible with regular floss. These types of flossers also run the risk of missing the area under the gum line that needs to be flossed. On the other hand, the enhanced reach of a wand can make flossing the back teeth easier.

Dental floss is the most frequently recommended cleaning aid for teeth sides with a normal gingiva contour in which the spaces between teeth are tight and small. The dental term ‘embrasure space’ describes the size of the triangular-shaped space immediately under the contact point of two teeth. The size of the embrasure space is useful in selecting the most appropriate interdental cleaning aid.

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707-453-1776

1001 Nut Tree Rd, Ste 230

Vacaville, CA 95687

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The History of Floss

Levi Spear Parmly (1790-1859), a dentist from New Orleans, is credited with inventing the first form of dental floss. In 1819, he recommended running a waxen silk thread "through the interstices of the teeth, between their necks and the arches of the gum, to dislodge that irritating matter which no brush can remove and which is the real source of disease." He considered this the most important part of oral care. Floss was not commercially available until 1882, when the Codman and Shurtleft company started producing unwaxed silk floss. In 1898, the Johnson & Johnson Corporation received the first patent for dental floss that was made from the same silk material used by doctors for silk stitches.

One of the earliest depictions of the use of dental floss in literary fiction is found in James Joyce's famous novel Ulysses (serialized 1918–1920), but the adoption of floss was low before World War II. During the war, nylon floss was developed by physician Charles C. Bass. Nylon floss was found to be better than silk because of its greater abrasion resistance and ability to be produced in great lengths and at various sizes.

Floss became part of American and Canadian daily personal dental care routines in the 1970s.

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707-453-1776

1001 Nut Tree Rd, Ste 230

Vacaville, CA 95687

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ENDING the ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH Debate | Spin vs Sonic

Let's talk about the different electric toothbrushes -- and how to determine which one is best for your individual mouth (including oscillating, round electric toothbrush heads and sonic, traditional electric toothbrush heads).

707-453-1776

1001 Nut Tree Rd, Ste 230

Vacaville, CA 95687

donnathedentist@gmail.com

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Dental Floss

Dental floss is a cord of thin filaments used in interdental cleaning to remove food and dental plaque from between teeth or places a toothbrush has difficulty reaching or is unable to reach. Its regular use as part of oral cleaning is designed to maintain oral health.

Use of floss is recommended to prevent gingivitis and the build-up of plaque. The American Dental Association claims that up to 80% of plaque can be removed by flossing, and it may confer a particular benefit in individuals with orthodontic devices. However, empirical scientific evidence demonstrating the clinical benefit of flossing as an adjunct to routine tooth brushing alone remains limited.

A Japanese macaque and long-tailed macaques have been observed in the wild and in captivity flossing with human hair and feathers.

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707-453-1776

1001 Nut Tree Rd, Ste 230

Vacaville, CA 95687

donnathedentist@gmail.com

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Fluoride

Fluoride was first added to toothpastes in the 1890s. Tanagra, containing calcium fluoride as the active ingredient, was sold by Karl F. Toellner Company, of Bremen, Germany, based upon the early work of chemist Albert Deninger. An analogous invention by Roy Cross, of Kansas City, Missouri, was initially criticized by the American Dental Association (ADA) in 1937. Fluoride toothpastes developed in the 1950s received the ADA's approval. To develop the first ADA-approved fluoride toothpaste, Procter & Gamble started a research program in the early 1940s. In 1950, Procter & Gamble developed a joint research project team headed by Joseph C. Muhler at Indiana University to study new toothpaste with fluoride. In 1955, Procter & Gamble's Crest launched its first clinically proven fluoride-containing toothpaste. On August 1, 1960, the ADA reported that "Crest has been shown to be an effective anticavity (decay preventative) dentifrice that can be of significant value when used in a conscientiously applied program of oral hygiene and regular professional care."

In 1980, the Japanese company, Sangi Co., Ltd., launched APADENT, the world's first remineralizing toothpaste to use a nano-form of hydroxyapatite, the main component of tooth enamel, rather than fluoride, to remineralize areas of mineral loss below the surface of tooth enamel (incipient caries lesions). After many years of laboratory experiments and field trials, its hydroxyapatite ingredient was approved as an active anti-caries agent by the Japanese Ministry of Health in 1993, and given the name Medical Hydroxyapatite to distinguish it from other forms of hydroxyapatite used in toothpaste, such as dental abrasives.

In 2006, BioRepair appeared in Europe with the first European toothpaste containing synthetic hydroxylapatite as an alternative to fluoride for the remineralization and reparation of tooth enamel. The "biomimetic hydroxylapatite" is intended to protect the teeth by creating a new layer of synthetic enamel around the tooth instead of hardening the existing layer with fluoride that chemically changes it into fluorapatite.

Read more, here.

707-453-1776

1001 Nut Tree Rd, Ste 230

Vacaville, CA 95687

donnathedentist@gmail.com

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Dental Bone Grafts Explained

Let's talk about dental bone grafts... why you would need one, what they are made of (spoiler: oftentimes from cow cadaver), and everything about the grafting procedure and recovery!!!

A dental bone graft is when your dentist places real or synthetic bone particles inside or next to your existing bone tissues. The graft helps to re-build the bone density in that specific area, making your jaw stronger and thicker. That way, there’s a stable enough foundation to securely anchor a tooth, dental implant, or even a set of dentures.

707-453-1776

1001 Nut Tree Rd, Ste 230

Vacaville, CA 95687

donnathedentist@gmail.com

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