- What is the best kind of toothbrush?
- Generally speaking, our dentist recommends a soft bristled toothbrush. Whether you use a manual toothbrush or an electric, anything harder than soft, is too hard. Stiff bristles may give you that clean feeling, but they can also abrade your teeth and cause gum recession. Sonicare
- How do I use dental floss?
- Floss is cheap, so don’t be stingy! Tear off about a forearms length to start. Wrap one end around the middle finger of one hand to “anchor” it, and pick up the other end about 4-6 inches away with the middle finger of the other hand. This allows you to manipulate the floss with your thumb and fore finger. As you soil a section of floss, “reel” in another 4-6 inches of clean floss with the anchor finger as you release the floss with the other finger. Once you get the floss past the tooth contact, move the floss up and down, perpendicular to the tooth. Never shoe-shine the teeth in a back and forth motion! You will either notch your teeth or cut your gums or both.!
- How often should I get x-rays?
- For most people, a complete radiographic survey should be done every 5 years, and a “check up” or “recall” set every 12 to 18 months. If you’re concerned about receiving too much radiation, a complete set of x-rays is the exposure to flying a commercial jet from San Francisco to Seattle, and with the new digital x-ray technology, the amount of radiation exposure is even less. X-Rays
- Is the mercury in silver filling harmful?
- The familiar “silver” or amalgam filling is probably the most researched and studied of all the dental materials. To date, there has never been any conclusive, or for that matter suggestive, scientific evidence that mercury amalgam filling poses a health risk. That is the official position of the American Dental association and the FDA. Replacing Old Fillings
- What causes tooth decay?
- Tooth decay is truly a disease of modern civilization. Prior to the invention of sucrose, or common table sugar, tooth decay was unknown! Although dentistry was practiced by many ancient cultures, tooth decay came about with the introduction of refined sugar. None of the naturally occurring dietary sugars causes decay, unless they are in the presence of sucrose.
- How often should I get dental checkups?
- For most people, a seeing a dentist for a checkup and cleaning every 6 months is standard protocol. Given that dental insurance companies agree, they generally will cover two cleaning and one recall exams with x-rays per year. Depending on a person’s dental health, however, a dental cleaning every 3-4 months may be recommended.