Flossing

Leaning Your Teeth and Gums – Flossing

Brushing your teeth properly is an effective way of removing plaque, that sticky white substance that grows in between and along the bottom of teeth and along the gum line. But rarely will tooth brushing alone remove all plaque, no matter how good a job you do.

To ensure you remove every bit of plaque from your teeth, you’ve got to remember to floss. While most people will make the effort to brush in the morning and at night, few take that extra step of flossing. Rather than flossing daily, they’ll floss weekly or worse, they just don’t floss at all.

Flossing takes a bit of time and a lot of coordination which probably is why so many choose to skip this step. But like any habit, if you’re willing to practice and repeat the process, in a few weeks you’ll be flossing daily like a pro.

As you chew your food, some of it gets trapped in the spaces between teeth. The closer the space, the more difficult those particles are to remove with the bristles of a toothbrush. And when it comes to the molars, it’s difficult to position the toothbrush so that it adequately gets between them.

When you floss, you wrap what looks like a length of thread around one or more fingers on both hands, and then work the thread up into the crevices between teeth. You don’t use normal sewing thread as that could damage the gums. Instead you use floss, which can either be uncoated or coated with a wax. To add a bit of excitement to the task, floss now comes in a variety of flavors and some brands even resist shredding!

As you move the floss back and forth, up and down the space between teeth, that action loosens the plaque from those hard-to-get-at spaces that toothbrush bristles can’t reach.

Some people wrap floss around their fingers while others just hold it between their fingers. How it’s held doesn’t matter as long as you have a firm grip and a segment that you can work with. With a back and forth motion, gently work the floss in between two teeth. This protects gums. Then wrap floss around an inside edge of a tooth by making a ‘c’ shape with the floss. Moving gently from base of tooth to gum line, use the floss to scrape the plaque from the tooth. Repeat for all teeth and don’t forget the molars. Flossing those teeth can be awkward at first, but it’s absolutely necessary.

You need only floss once a day, so choose morning or evening and stick with that time. You may wish to floss more often, especially after eating popcorn or other foods that tend to stick between teeth. Floss isn’t expensive so use as much as you need, as often as you need.

Never rush your flossing session and never floss aggressively. Both can cause gums to bleed or become damaged. You actually want to avoid coming into contact with the gums as much as possible.

What is a Crown?

Like the name implies, a crown is designed to sit atop a tooth that is too damaged to be fixed with a filling. This type of extensive damage can be caused by tooth decay, but it can also result from a tooth that has been cracked or chipped. There are other reasons people put crowns on their teeth. For example, if a bridge is needed, a crown helps hold it into place.

Crowns can also be created for reasons that are purely cosmetic. Severely discolored teeth and/or teeth that are misshapen can be topped with crowns to create a look that is more visually pleasing. And today, some people cap perfectly healthy teeth in gold as a status symbol.

A lot of preparation is required before a crown can be properly affixed to a tooth. The tooth typically has to be made smaller to ensure a proper fit. This is accomplished by filing the tooth. Sometimes, not much of the tooth remains and it must first be built up.

When damage or decay is extensive, the patient may first need a root canal – a procedure which remedies pulp that has been infected or inflamed. If this procedure isn’t done, there’s an increased chance of losing the tooth.

After the tooth’s size and underlying root and pulp issues have been addressed, the next step is to create an impression. That’s an important step because the crown must be the correct size or it will be useless. An impression is basically a mold of the tooth from which the crown will be created. To ensure the crowned tooth won’t in any way affect the bite, impressions of surrounding teeth are also made.

After the impressions are made, they are sent to the laboratory where the permanent crown will be crafted. Crowns can be produced using a number of different materials including ceramic, metal or a combination of metal and porcelain. A temporary crown, which you’ll wear until your permanent crown is fitted, can be made out of stainless steel or plastic right there in the dentist’s office.

When the permanent crown is ready, you’ll return to the dentist where the crown will be fitted and adjusted as necessary. When all is perfect, the crown is permanently attached to the tooth using cement. After the crown is put into place, you may still experience some problems such as sensitivity or discomfort. If so, return to the dentist and discuss the feelings. The crown may require repositioning. And if there still is a nerve under the crown, it may be reacting to hot and cold causing sensitivity.

A crown is a very durable dental treatment and it’s not uncommon for one to last decades. But during that time you could experience problems with the crown. It might chip, especially if it is porcelain. Or the cement might begin to wash away partially or completely. If any of these problems arise, you’ll need to return to the dentist. Bacteria and acids can leak onto the tooth when crowns are loose or they fall out and this can lead to tooth decay.

Facts on Opalescence Teeth Whitening System

People like their pearly whites to be both pearly and white. It sounds lame but it is true. People love to take care of their teeth. One might even say that people are particularly vain concerning their teeth. This is because when meeting people, the teeth are definitely the first thing to get noticed. We smile in order to show people a glimpse of our soul. There are people who depend on their smiles for their living. This is the reason behind the success of such products as the Opalescence teeth whitening system.

One of the Opalescence teeth whitening system lets people take the system home and do the whitening themselves. This might seem like unnecessary work for some people, but for others, it means convenience. People today do not have the time to go to the dentist for teeth whitening. Some just choose to get a tan instead of having their teeth whitened. This is the reason why the Opalescence teeth whitening system is so sought after. Convenience is one of the things that people look for today.

How does the Opalescence teeth whitening system work? First of all, you have to know that the Opalescence teeth whitening system is a professional-grade bleaching system. This means that it can whiten your teeth faster than other over the counter teeth whitening systems. This is because of the fact that most over the counter teeth whitening systems contain only about 3 to 10 percent hydrogen peroxide. However, the Opalescence teeth whitening system has a 38 percent concentration of hydrogen peroxide.

While most teeth whitening systems today require the use of a bleaching light in order to “activate” the product, the Opalescence teeth whitening system is the first product which lists the use of the light as “optional”. People like this because it is often the case that the cost of the bleaching light is undeniably higher than the cost of the actual product. Another interesting fact about this is that lately, many dentists are finding out that the “studies” regarding the use of bleaching lights rarely do prove that the light is needed to activate the hydrogen peroxide.

Although you can take the Opalescence teeth whitening system home, it is still advisable that you get a professional to whiten your teeth. This is because the Opalescence teeth whitening system works best when in the hands of a professional. About 90 minutes is required from preparation to the actual procedure. Think of it: just one and a half hours for you to have whiter teeth!

Besides giving you whiter teeth, the opalescence teeth whitening system also gives you other benefits. While some teeth bleaching systems may give you sensitive teeth and thus, forever deny you the pleasure of eating ice cream, the opalescence teeth whitening system actually minimizes sensitivity. This means that you do not have to sacrifice the pleasure of eating certain foods in order to have a great smile.

Another complaint that people have with common bleaching agents is the fact that these often cause teeth to become vulnerable to cavities. However, the opalescence teeth whitening system actually strengthens the enamel, making it harder and decreases the likelihood of cavities.

The opalescence teeth whitening system can give great benefits to whoever uses the product. You get whiter teeth in a way that’s convenient and painless. So what are you waiting for? If waiting several weeks for white teeth wont do, then opalescence make a product called Boost! This is an in office whitening system that can give you the smile of your dreams in about an hour. Call Family & Cosmetic Dentistry of Fairfield for details.  Mention discount code BLOG1305 to receive $100 off Boost in office whitening.