Hello Decatur! For ideal oral health, you need both healthy teeth and healthy gums. Proper oral hygiene helps keep both your teeth and gums in good shape.
When brushing, hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle with the bristle tips aimed at the line where the tooth and gum meet. The bristles of a soft toothbrush can clean the food particles in the pockets in front and in back of the tooth, but you need floss to clean between the teeth. Make sure you get the floss into the pocket between the teeth. Scrape food particles up and out of the pocket.
Back to toothbrushing: if the toothbrush is not held at the correct angle, the bristles can’t get in the pockets to clean out the bacteria before it turns into enamel-damaging plaque. If plaque builds up in the pockets, the gums can start loosening.
Eventually, the pockets will become too deep for your toothbrush bristles to reach. Unfortunately, the lower part of the tooth can’t fight decay as well as the part above the gumline.
There is more than one way to damage your teeth—even if the visible parts of your teeth are cavity-free, gum disease can cause dilemmas with the parts you can’t see.
We work with our patients of all ages to establish essential oral hygiene habits.
If you haven’t had a check-up in a while, or are experiencing gum soreness or recession, call Decatur Smiles today at 256-350-5820 to schedule a thorough tooth and gum examination.
During your exam, doctor Teichmiller will measure the depth of the pockets around each tooth. If you already have gum disease, we will help you restore gum health.
At Decatur Smiles in Decatur, we provide comprehensive general and cosmetic dental services including cosmetic dentistry and dental implants and dentures. If your teeth are stained and you want to brighten your smile, ask us about teeth bleaching.
Contact Decatur Smiles:
256-350-5820
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
1316 Somerville Rd SE Ste 2
Decatur, Alabama
35601
