To-day I had a routine appointment to see the Dental Hygienist. Instead of the usual man I was seen by the Senior Hygienist.
I consider these visits to be important in view of recent publicity about heart health being closely linked to dental hygiene / gum disease. I have had a problem with receding gums so need to take extra care.
This new Hygienist reckons that I should start using an electric toothbrush with a small soft head. She kept emphasising the importance of prolonged brushing of the gums. She gave me some bright orange plastic tooth picks which are to be used instead of flossing tape.
I hope that this new emphasis is helpful.
Written by
jennydog
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Mine gives me a variety or teepee brushes as floss is pointless with my gaps. Using medicated toothpaste also helps but I still end up having root planing about every two years.
It is a brand name for those little pot brushes used to clean between your teeth . They have a brush about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long and different coloured handles for how thick they are. Red is thinnest and purple quite thick and there are about six or seven grades so at least one should go between each tooth. Once you get "long in the tooth" these are essential .
Thanks. I'm sure they have them here (US) possibly under another name . Will go find them. Teeth change as we age and floss doesn't seem to do the trick like it used to.
Very similar to my hygienist. Three monthly visits, recommends same routine as you plus tepees in various sizes and floss.
I have to admit I was a bit nervous about using an electric toothbrush, concerned about excessive wear on the enamel but after around 7 years, no problems. It took a while to get used to letting the brush do all the work and resist the temptation of moving the brush up and down. Hope I'm not going to regret saying this, but apart from a troublesome wisdom tooth last year, I have had no fillings or any other treatment for about 10 years which must be largely due to regular dentist and hygiene checks, not bad for a very old geezer!!
I’ve used an electric toothbrush for over 20 years. Have had many of them during this time, all Oral B brushes. My advice is to buy the best you can, the very latest model if possible. Boots regularly have half priced deals.
Used properly, you can feel how much cleaner they make your teeth.
Good idea. I was postponing for no good reason. My dentist wants to do a deep cleaning but I've been procrastinatin. Will allow myself another couple of weeks to rebound from my surg and the flu and get on the stick. Thanks for the push.
I've been getting the same rev up from my hygienists. I bought a recent model oral-b and it's wonderful compared to earlier abandoned attempts with electric toothbrushes. I hadn't understood about heart health links and the hygienist was horrified that the cardiologists I'd been seeing for years had never once enquired about my dental health.
Luckily my gums are good and I hope to keep them that way.
I am nearly 59 and I have receding gums. I see my hygienist every six months and I have used an electric toothbrush with a soft head for around 20 years. I also used dental floss and the smallest interdental brushes as my teeth are pretty jam-packed in my mouth with overcrowding at the bottom. As others have said with an electric toothbrush you have to get used to letting the oscillating brush do the work and avoid trying to use it like an ordinary toothbrush. Don’t use wooden toothpicks or hard plastic toothpicks between teeth as they are too hard and can push the gum back. A non-coloured mouthwash used once a day helps keep bacteria down too.
Hi Jennydog. It's interesting how different dentists have different takes on care. I have an Indian dentist and because of the coumadin has told me to brush gently eoth a child'ssoft toothbrush. He also told me about an ayervedic practice called oil pulling', I've also stopped (about 2 yrs ago) brushing with toothpaste. (Google oil pulling if you're interested, You'll get a better explanation than mine. I'm 73 and have all my teeth except the twp top very back teeth which had broken crowns. I had them pulled about 2 years ago. This is my dental care routine. Oilpulling with sesame oil in am before brushing, Brush with baking soda. Eat breakfast. Floss with waxed floss. Brush.Rinse garglewith salt water. Bedtime. floss, brush with baking soda, rise gargle with salt water )sea salt. Floss prn during day. And I drink a tbsp of raw organic apple cider vinegar each morning nospecific time Misx it in about 12 ox water. Mostly I drink it through a straw as it's hard on you teeth enamel.
I had gum disease for years and my previous dentist just pulled the teeth due to my "funny" gums.
I have a new dentist now, who gave me a deep clean on the effected gums, and not had any discomfort or pain since. She could see the pockets on X-ray where the bacteria collect and thats what they clean out.
i use those teepee brushes between teeth and a Phillips sonic toothbrush which I prefer, seems a bit gentler than the rotary.
Dental check tomorrow, so expect another deep clean .
The hygienist thoroughly cleans your teeth. Mine takes 30 minutes to do all the scraping, brushing, pressure washing, etc. Worth every penny in my view.
I agree with this approach. Often we have to deal with hygienists/nurse practitioners/ and other ancillary personnel in our doctors/dentists' practices. And most of them are excellent and often more helpful education-wise than the docs. But when I have questions sometimes I want to go to the top source-which means the doctor/dentist. This doesn't mean their employees don't have the answers but sometimes they are bound by their employers' preferences about how much info they are allowed to give before going to that ever popular statement "You need to ask the doctor about that." My personal opinion is that here in the US where sometimes agendas also involve money and 'avoiding litigation' decisions Iwant to save my time,money,patience etc; and go straight to the top for my info. Sorry tosound so cynical about US healthcare but after spending 40 years involved in it I know how our system works and thinks. Most of the time it works well and above board but not always. Well, I've taken care of today's soapbox. Thanksfor listening. irina1975
I have been an Dental Hygienist for 30 years and wouldn't pay a dentist to clean my teeth. Hygienist are specifically trained to care of your gingiva(gums) and provide you with info about the best products for caring for your gums.
I have also been using an Oral-B electric toothbrush for nearly all the last 10 years. I did try a Philips sonicare one once but I didn't get on with it and the dentist's grading of my teeth dropped slightly. I go for the £20-25 ones. You can pay more and get more wizzy bits but the action is exactly the same.
I see the hygienist every 6m and use Tepe brushes for my front teeth and Glide tooth picks for the back ones. My gums have been good ever since my ablation 8 years ago, and I think that's one of the reasons I remain AF free.
I am meticulous about oral hygiene. After having a deep gum infection cleaned out my charming teenage dentist (maybe a slight exaggeration) advised a hygienist's appointment every three months. I have one in spite of finding it torture AND I floss with a tepee dipped in corsodyl paste (that in itself deserves a medal). My gums are 'reasonable'! Btw I changed to a Philips toothbrush instead of a Braun. I am totally converted (and its a best buy in Which?)
secondtry Thank you. I hoped it would raise awareness. This is, I believe, what a forum such as this is all about - not playing silly games pretending to be 3 different people. I have certainly learned from the responses.
Did see dentist today and yes, gums inflamed a little so another deep clean next week. Suggested using the teepee brushes every meal and adding a bit of Corsodyl Gel to the infected areas.
I have noticed an improvement in my teeth by rinsing my mouth with warm salt water. Also by using mouthwashes that are for dry mouth. Tea tree oil also is good for rinsing the mouth. Medications can cause dry mouth. Which in turn causes tooth enamel decay. A water pick is also a great alternative to flossing. I use it between meals to remove food particles. But the best thing is to avoid eating foods with sugar, or acidic foods.
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