Good Dental Hygiene

[totalnoob]

Listerine FTW. Seriously..It burns like hell but that tells you it's working and killing shitloads of bad stuff in your mouth. Brush, floss, then burn your gums with listerine for 30 seconds and you will be in tip top shape within a week.

 

[akshatp]

Listerine FTW. Seriously..It burns like hell but that tells you it's working and killing shitloads of bad stuff in your mouth. Brush, floss, then burn your gums with listerine for 30 seconds and you will be in tip top shape within a week.

I use Listerine (total care) but I dilute that shit with some cold H2O. That shit is too lethal otherwise

 

[edro]

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.

I think I'll stick to Listerine...

 

[scrim]

Take a Listerine 1L bottle, put in 2.5 tablespoons of salt and 1.5 tablespoons of baking soda... mix with 1L of water - that's all you need as a mouth wash. Listerine irritated my gums and that's what the dentists recommended.

 

[ConwayJim]

This requires a poll and some sort of tangent about religion before I will respond...

 

[PottedMeat]

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

"Hmm this guy examining my teeth said I should do something about my inflamed gums. He went to dental school for years to do that job and I'm paying him a bunch of money. Should I ask him or a bunch of random people on the interwebs?...INTERWEBS!"

 

[ViviTheMage]

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.

disagree, my wisdom tooth .. well the hole my tooth was in, felt fine.

I floss once a day, brush once a day.

 

[HannibalX]

I don't floss... brush twice a day with a good brush. Brushing time is maybe 5 minutes. Listerine Total Care mouth wash morning and night, it doesn't need diluted, man up. My teethe are great, the Dentist is always happy with the state of my teethe. Flossing is pointless. I have all my wisdom teethe, they grew in almost completely straight, no pushing or pressure, no reason to take them out.

The key to a good cleaning is to be thorough, if you're spending 60 seconds cleaning in the morning it's not enough. Get a GOOD brush, be thorough, brush twice a day, use Listerine, your dental visits will be a non-issue.

 

[darkxshade]

I know there are instructions on the mouthwash bottle but generally how long do you guys gargle/swish around the mouthwash before spitting it out and rinsing? I could never hold it in longer than a minute before the burning sensation trumps my willpower.

 

[HannibalX]

30 seconds is all it takes.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

why wouldn't you ask your dentist this?

 

[Riverhound777]

I hated flossing all my life and hardly ever did it till I started using floss picks. I swear they make it so much more convenient that I now floss 1-3 times per day and can't stand having crap stuck i my teeth and not having a pick. I think I might buy some in bulk

http://www.amazon.com/Oral-B-Advanta.../dp/B0028K3J26

 

[tcsenter]

I think I'll stick to Listerine...

Well except that Listerine is alcohol based, which increases the risk of developing oral cancers and its efficacy at preventing gingivitis or periodontal disease is at best classified as weak, whereas the efficacy (and safety) of peroxide based therapy is well known and clinically proven. Its what dentists and periodontists use as part of an overall treatment plan, not Listerine.

 

[Emperor88]

The link between alcohol based mouthwash and oral cancer is sketchy at best.

http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/health_news/160109_mouthwash_and_cancer.html

 

[CRXican]

that's just their ploy to get you to keep coming back

I brush but don't floss

 

[HannibalX]

Well except that Listerine is alcohol based, which increases the risk of developing oral cancers and its efficacy at preventing gingivitis or periodontal disease is at best classified as weak, whereas the efficacy (and safety) of peroxide based therapy is well known and clinically proven. Its what dentists and periodontists use as part of an overall treatment plan, not Listerine.

This must be why every Dentist I've ever had has told me to use Listerine twice a day along with brushing twice a day. They're trying to give people cancer and kill off their profession. Must be.

 

[mb]

why wouldn't you ask your dentist this?

He isn't manly enough.

 

[edro]

that's just their ploy to get you to keep coming back
I brush but don't floss

I don't think the effectiveness of flossing is in question.

 

[tcsenter]

This must be why every Dentist I've ever had has told me to use Listerine twice a day along with brushing twice a day. They're trying to give people cancer and kill off their profession. Must be.

For people with perfectly healthy gums, Listerine purely as PREVENTATIVE is fine. This discussion is not about people with perfectly healthy gums. That discussion is down the hall, last door on the left. Thank you.

 

[HannibalX]

For people with perfectly healthy gums, Listerine purely as PREVENTATIVE is fine. This discussion is not about people with perfectly healthy gums. That discussion is down the hall, last door on the left. Thank you.

It's a discussion about the aspects of good dental hygiene, as per the title of the thread. You just wanted to nix something you don't like by telling everyone it will give them cancer, which it won't.

 

[Lummex]

Yeah, I was slacking on dental hygiene for a long time. Too long. I finally decided to stop being a dumb ass and start flossing regularly again... oh god, the horror. But I've gotta keep going everyday until my gums are back to normal. Not flossing for so long was one of the worst decisions ever. My mouth is in such pain :'(

 

[tcsenter]

It's a discussion about the aspects of good dental hygiene, as per the title of the thread:

No, its a discussion about...

"I went to the dentist...he said my gums were inflamed...what's the best way to...reduce swollen gums?"

The OP is specifically asking about TREATMENT for an existing condition, not prevention. All discussion should be within that context, which I was staying within.

 

[chusteczka]

Brush at night
Brushing at night before bed is probably the single most effective means of preventive care because it removes food particles from between the teeth. Food particles left between the teeth overnight while sleeping sit in one spot for hours. These particles create bacteria and hurt the gums. The gums will bleed, thereby allowing the bacteria entry into the bloodstream. Once bacteria gets into the blood, it can settle on the heart valves, calcify, and destroy the heart valves; thereby inducing a heart attack when a person reaches 45-60 years of age. Bacteria settled on the heart valves introduced through mouth infections is a leading cause of heart attacks in people in their upper 40's and 50's.

Furthermore, bleeding gums creates noticeably bad breath.

Bleeding Gums and Flossing
Flossing before bed 2-3 times per week, minimum, helps keep the gums strong; thereby preventing bleeding gums, bad breath, and a possible heart attack later in life.

The gums do not really break down until a person reaches their upper 20's to lower 30's, when a person can notice a taste of blood in their mouth due to bleeding gums. This is when flossing becomes crucial. This is why many people retain healthy gums through their 20's.

that's just their ploy to get you to keep coming back

I brush but don't floss

I expect CRXican is in his upper teens to lower 20's and has not yet experienced bleeding gums that typically does not appear until a person's upper 20's.

When flossing, do not pull the floss back and forth. Rather, an up-down motion is best. Pull the floss deep into the gums to clean as far down as the gums are weak enough to allow. If the floss can get in there, so can food particles.

Brush with up-down motion
When brushing, a "back and forth" motion tends to focus the bristles together and direct them into the base of the teeth at the gum line. Brushing in this "back and forth" manner eventually removes the layer of enamel at the base of the teeth; thereby creating "sensitive" teeth.

The best motion to use when brushing the teeth is a gentle up-down motion.

 

[tokie]

I brush 3 times a day and floss twice a day -- after breakfast, and before going to bed.

Also use Fluoride Listerine twice a day.

 

[chalmers]

For anyone that doesn't like flossing...I HIGHLY recommend disposable floss thingies..like this..

http://pics.drugstore.com/prodimg/204684/200.JPG

It's so easy. Might be a bit more expensive, but it's not bad. A pack like that is probably $4 max at Wal Mart.

Really helps me keep motivated to floss regularly.