Good Dental Hygiene

[manlymatt83]

So I've let my teeth slip over the past year and I knew it - I went to the dentist and although I had no cavities, he said my gums were inflamed. I haven't been flossing or brushing as much as I should be.

Now that the details are over, what's the best way to take care of your teeth and reduce swollen gums? Floss how many times per day? Brush how many times per day?

Thanks

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

So I've let my teeth slip over the past year and I knew it - I went to the dentist and although I had no cavities, he said my gums were inflamed. I haven't been flossing or brushing as much as I should be.

Now that the details are over, what's the best way to take care of your teeth and reduce swollen gums? Floss how many times per day? Brush how many times per day?

Thanks

What did your dentist say, and if he didn't why didn't you ask the guy you paid instead of asking an internet forum?

 

[moshquerade]

Hygiene

 

[edro]

If you floss every few days, you will be good.
Brush morning and night.
Using mouthwash helps a ton.

 

[nboy22]

Just keep brushing and flossing every day.

I would recommend brush and floss in the morning and brush and floss at night.
Everything should return to normal in a week or two, that would be my guess.

 

[FoBoT]

get one of these, only like $22 at Target

 

[edro]

BTW, thanks for the reminder that I haven't flossed in a while.

I just flossed and it wasn't pretty.

 

[darkxshade]

God I hate flossing, I pretty much do it when I feel up to it which is like once every 2-3 days and sometimes once a week. I brush twice a day though, morning and before bed. And I see the dentist twice a year for dental cleaning which undoes the damage of my laziness from lack of flossing if any. I actually saw my dentist yesterday and he told me to keep doing whatever it is I'm doing because my teeth are fine.

 

[dbk]

Yeah, I've been noticing my dental hygiene going down as well. I've flossed and used mouthwash everyday for the past week. Feels much cleaner...

 

[akshatp]

Similar situation here... My back teeth/gums on both sides are in bad shape, even though my teeth and mouth are fine in all other respects. The problem I have is the same as yours, I havent been flossing, and brushing isnt adequately cleaning the back of my mouth. Not going to the dentist for a little over a year also contributed, as it allowed the plaque to get deeper into the area between my teeth and gums.

Im going back this Friday and next for a "scaling" of the really bad parts, total of about 7 teeth. They will numb the area, deep clean the gums of plaque/bacteria, and then shoot an antibiotic into the air pocket to kill off any remaining bacteria.

It sounds like its going to be painful, so I am going to start flossing again! I dont want to go through it again!

 

[shortylickens]

What did your dentist say, and if he didn't why didn't you ask the guy you paid instead of asking an internet forum?

This.
It should be the standard response in any health/medicine thread.

We are not doctors. And if we were, we damn sure wouldnt be giving you free advice. We'd make you pay about 160 an hour for it.

 

[darkxshade]

It sounds like its going to be painful

Deep cleaning isn't painful at all, especially since you get numbed. Now having your wisdom tooth removed, now that's pain... after the anesthetic wears off.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Plaque bacteria is being linked to heart attacks, and on going research may point to it having more ill effects yet. Floss every day. You are sitting here on ATOT, you could be flossing while you read.

 

[Cal166]

I have the same issue with my back teeth since it's hard to take care of and brush. My dentist recommend an electric toothbrush.

 

[Fenixgoon]

brush, floss, mouthwash. i really need to get back on the last 2. ran outta floss and mouthwash

 

[tcsenter]

A peroxide based rinse. e.g. 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted 1:1 with water for the first couple weeks (resulting in 1.5% hydrogen peroxide). After two or three weeks, you can step up to 3% straight from the bottle, but do NOT use full strength 3% for at least a couple weeks.

Use as rinse and gargle twice per day, morning and night, religiously. Swish around vigorously to get it in between your teeth. Don't drink anything or rinse for 10 minutes after. You will produce excess secretions/saliva and spit a bit for a few minutes afterward, so prepare to spend that time near the sink. Then rinse with a mouthwash like Scope or Crest Pro Health (you'll have to rinse the residual peroxide from your mouth).

You can mix in a little of your preferred mint-flavored mouth wash/rinse if you want. The taste can be a little bleh. After two or three months and you see substantial improvement in gum irritation/bleeding/inflammation/redness, you could switch to once per day.

 

[biggestmuff]

What did your dentist say, and if he didn't why didn't you ask the guy you paid instead of asking an internet forum?

People don't speak to each other face to face anymore. They just hang their heads and walk around silently.

 

[tcsenter]

I would also strongly recommend that you sanitize your toothbrush two or three times every week. You can do this by sticking your toothbrush bristle down into a half-cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide, swish it around a bit, then leave it to soak for 30 minutes before rinsing it off.

 

[Anonemous]

Get a teeth cleaning from a dental hygienist? Had to get 5 shots each for top and bottom sections of the teeth (2 separate sessions) cuz they did heavy duty cleaning. Then I got an electric tooth brush and floss every now and then. Follow up sessions showed that my inflamed gums/gingivitus receeded.

 

[dbk]

I would also strongly recommend that you sanitize your toothbrush two or three times every week. You can do this by sticking your toothbrush bristle down into a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide, swish it around a bit, then leave it to soak for 30 minutes before rinsing it off.

wow, thanks for some good knowledge. I'm gonna go pick up some hydrogen peroxide tomorrow!

 

[tcsenter]

Peroxide is a bit different from any other rinse or mouthwash and takes a little getting used to. It fizzes a bit in your mouth, continues to fizz for a few minutes, and will leave a bad taste until it is thoroughly rinsed away.

Resist the urge to rinse or wash your mouth out for at least five minutes, just spit the excess secretions/saliva. Peroxide has potent oxidation properties and breaks down into oxygen and water (those are the only byproducts).

The fizzing is the oxidation effect of peroxide when it reacts with your saliva and other organic compounds in your mouth. Dilute (1% ~ 3%) peroxide will inhibit or kill bacteria (especially the anaerobic bacteria that is implicated in gingivitis), help break-down or dissolve food particles and plaques, debride or exfoliate diseased/dead cells.

In stronger concentrations (well above 3%), it can kill perfectly healthy tissue and cause severe irritation. In even stronger concentrations, it is used as an industrial-strength oxidation/bleaching agent, as well as a component of rocket fuel and explosives.

 

[Born2bwire]

A peroxide based rinse. e.g. 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted 1:1 with water for the first couple weeks (resulting in 1.5% hydrogen peroxide). After two or three weeks, you can step up to 3% straight from the bottle, but do NOT use full strength 3% for at least a couple weeks.

Use as rinse and gargle twice per day, morning and night, religiously. Swish around vigorously to get it in between your teeth. Don't drink anything or rinse for 10 minutes after. You will produce excess secretions/saliva and spit a bit for a few minutes afterward, so prepare to spend that time near the sink. Then rinse with a mouthwash like Scope or Crest Pro Health (you'll have to rinse the residual peroxide from your mouth).

You can mix in a little of your preferred mint-flavored mouth wash/rinse if you want. The taste can be a little bleh. After two or three months and you see substantial improvement in gum irritation/bleeding/inflammation/redness, you could switch to once per day.

I would also mention that gargling a 1:1 mix of peroxide and water is an excellent go to for sore throats. I can't believe how effective it is for me.

 

[akshatp]

I would also strongly recommend that you sanitize your toothbrush two or three times every week. You can do this by sticking your toothbrush bristle down into a half-cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide, swish it around a bit, then leave it to soak for 30 minutes before rinsing it off.

How does this help gingivitis/periodontis?

 

[V00DOO]

Deep cleaning isn't painful at all, especially since you get numbed. Now having your wisdom tooth removed, now that's pain... after the anesthetic wears off.

The most painful part is getting the shot to numb your gum. If you are not driving, drink some alcohol before the procedure. It helps with the pain.

 

[akshatp]

The most painful part is getting the shot to numb your gum. If you are not driving, drink some alcohol before the procedure. It helps with the pain.

Not getting a shot... They are going to use some kind of gel