Advice?
Thanks.
Floss, brush, mouthwash rinse… though my dentist told me you should brush then floss.
I had borderline gum disease three years ago so I bought a Waterpik for about $40. I use it once or maybe twice a day every single day. It took about 3 months for it to clear up any sign of gum disease and it has stayed that way. It also keeps the surfaces of your teeth and your mouth in general really clean feeling. Flossing probably would have worked too but I never liked flossing enough to do it every day. A Waterpik is easy. You just do it right before you brush your teeth and there is no string or mess to deal with. I still floss sometimes too but it seems like the Waterpik does most of the work on its own.
One work of caution, those things are more powerful than they look. I started out the first time with mine on the highest setting. It looked like someone had held a machete fight in my mouth when I was done. I backed down to a lower setting and worked my way back up slowly over time.
Looking for advice? IMHO rather than General Questions. Moved.
samclem, moderator
Apply toothpaste to the toothbrush’s bristles. Scrub the bristles against your teeth with a really fast back and forth motion, for a minute or two. Rinse the toothbrush and place it in a toothbrush holder.
Do this at least twice daily, and floss at least once a day.
Floss by breaking off a piece of floss, wrapping it around a finger of each hand, then moving it with a downward motion against your teeth so that it contacts the gumline. Do this for each side of each tooth.
I spent years of dedicated brushing and flossing and being told every 6 months I wasn’t doing a good enough job no matter what I did. We discussed a waterpic through this period but every dentist I talked to said it wasn’t as effective as flossing.
It got so bad that almost a year ago I had gum surgery (you do NOT want this btw) and they recommended that I get a waterpic, not for cleaning but for gum massage to help them recover from the surgery.
I now don’t floss except the little portable floss pick’s for occasional stuck food but I do brush the same and waterpic once a day. Now every time I go to the dentist they rave about what a great job I’m doing and tell me to keep it up.
Yes, Waterpics really do work. I am not sure why dentists don’t automatically recommend them other than it might negatively impact their yacht payments. I told my dental hygienist about mine and she says she uses one too and thinks they are great but some people don’t use them correctly so she lets people find them on their own. If you use one at least once a day, it whitens your teeth because it blasts off surface stains and greatly reduces the risk of cavities as well. I haven’t had any dental issues since I started using mine.
You have to start gently if you have any gum disease however. Pressure washing your mouth with one of those will produce lots of yucky stuff for the first few weeks and especially the first few days. After that, it is just maintenance and waiting for everything to get stable.
Floss, gum stimulator, rinse with hydrogen peroxide.
Floss first. Then brush with the softest brush. One technique for brushing.
Total brushing time should be 2-3 minutes. 15 seconds per quadrant, inner and outer, plus a few seconds extra for the inside of the front teeth. Use your digital watch stopwatch to time yourself.
Electric toothbrushes also work. But I read somewhere that the major factor in their effectiveness is that people brush longer when using them. So when you use a manual toothbrush, time your brushing.
Pray tell, what is this Waterpik some of you have mentioned? Like Moon, I had gum surgery a year or so ago. It was not fun and was $$$! I could only afford one of three or four. It wasn’t very painful overall but the cost sure was. I don’t have dental insurance. The specialist I had was pretty good based on what I’ve read about him. He visits my dentist’s office every second Saturady of each month, or something like that. Neither him nor my dentist ever mentioned Waterpik. Though I have been introduced to G.U.M, which is a toothpick-like floss with tiny bristles.
So I want to buy this Waterpik if it’s as effective as flossing. I went on Amazon and see that there are different models. Which is the best? I’ve been brushing, flossing, and rinsing with Listerine or sometimes salt water religiously since my surgery. Still, sometimes I feel like my mouth isn’t clean enough. Need to get this Waterpik!
Mine is like this and it works great.
I am sure the fancier models for a few dollars more work fine too.
some electric brushes have quadrant timers. high end models have modes like 2 minute, 3 minute, sensitive, massage.
Here is what I do which stabilizes my crappy teeth:
Electric toothbrush - and mine has a quadrant time.
Then, mouthwash in a cup, which I inject to the very ends of my mouth with a syringe.
Then I floss (using a floss holder) which I dip in the mouthwash so the mouthwash gets in the crevices.
Then I rinse with the rest of the mouthwash.
I have prescription mouthwash, by the way.
I also have a gum stimulator which is good for getting gunk out of my mouth which the floss doesn’t get.
All this makes my mouth in only slightly more of a mess than my wife who brushes and nothing else.