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Oral B, Sonicare vs. manual brushing?  Which one is most beneficial to the health of my gum tissue.

A professional tooth cleaning happens in a doctor’s office. When a dental hygienist cleans your teeth they remove soft and hard deposits from your teeth that cause cavities. The main reason for having your teeth cleaned is to prevent or delay the progression of gum diseases.  Getting your teeth cleaned is not the only way to prevent gum diseases — smoking has been implicated in approximately 50% of periodontal disease cases in adults.

The frequency of professional teeth cleaning depends on the health of your teeth and gums, for example healthy children and adults should have their teeth cleaned at least twice a year.   If you’re a smoker or have a tendency to get gum infections you should visit your dentist more often.  It’s a good idea to actually ask your dentist how often you should visit their office.

As for personal dental care this is, of course, the most beneficial thing you can do to your teeth and minimize dentist visits. Most people have been brushing their teeth two or three times a day since childhood. But because teeth brushing is such a daily routine few people actually stop and think about the proper way of doing it.

The cleaning of the teeth and removal of plaque is mainly done by brushing properly along the gum line not by using more toothpaste!  Too much toothpaste actually causes the cleaning to be less effective.  The amount of tooth paste that will cover half of the brush head is good enough.

Here are some excellent tips on how to brush your teeth:

• Try to use a soft or extra soft bristle toothbrush that you should replace about every 3 months or so.
• When you’re brushing your teeth along the gum line, make sure to angle your brush to 45 degree angle so it goes against your teeth and gums, move your toothbrush back and forth in small, round strokes. The correct motion is more like massaging along the gums line rather than vigorous brushing.
• For longer fresh-breath add 2 -3 drops of tea-tree oil to the toothpaste for brushing.
• In order to stop plaque from forming between teeth you should floss your teeth daily.   If you apply some toothpaste on the dental floss it will produce excellent results to clean the spots that are hard to get to.
• Remember to floss and brush the gums of both upper & lower teeth.  Floss against the end-side of the tooth and scale the floss up-and-down the tooth in a C-shape several times.
• Stock handy dental floss in your purse, at your office desk and in your car for use when needed and try to do some flossing when no one is looking.
• The Tongue is a major source of plaque. Scraping or brushing the tongue clean twice daily is essential oral hygiene.