Dentist Questions - Isn't Brushing Alone Enough?

Ask any dentist what you need to do to maintain the health of your teeth and chances are good he or she will tell you that you need to brush at least twice a day. Most often, this person will also tell you that you need to use a mouth rinse, floss and be sure to visit your dental care provider at least one time every six months, and more frequently if you have an underlying health condition that needs treatment. Who has time for all of that? It may seem like each of these steps are not necessary, but taking the time to do them will improve your overall health.

What You Should Know

There are key benefits to each step of the process of caring for your teeth. Your dentist is able to show you the right steps to take to clean your teeth, and to ensure you do it correctly. However, consider the following.

• Brushing is the first and primary way of caring for your teeth. Done properly, it will remove most of the plaque and bacteria present in the mouth on the surface of the teeth. However, brushing does not remove it all, even if you scrub hard and use a lot of toothpaste.

• Flossing is something people often dread but you should be using this method at least two times per day as well. Flossing removes the food particles and debris caught between your pearly whites. Take a close look in a mirror to see these particles even after you brushed your teeth. If left there, the particles will become food for bacteria, allowing your mouth to become overrun by it.

• A mouth rinse is sometimes used more commonly than brushing and definitely more commonly than flossing. However, a mouth rinse is something you need to do after you have brushed and flossed. By doing so, you are rinsing away the bacteria left on the surfaces of your mouth, including your soft tissues that cannot be reached by other methods.

• Finally, going to the dentist may be that thing you dread doing, but it is something you need to do. Whitening products do not do the job of a visit here. More so, the amount of plaque build that occurs over a short period of time should be enough to get you in the door more often. If you want a healthy mouth, you need to visit two times per year.

Doing these things will improve the overall health of your mouth. Your dentist can help show you the proper way to do any of these steps, but do not underestimate the benefit of using them. For many people, this is the best way to prevent long-term damage or the loss of a tooth. If you take the time to shower regularly to remove debris from your body, do the same, or even better, for your mouth. It will pay off with a healthy smile that you can feel confident about making.