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Prevention | Brushing & Flossing, Mouthwash, Dry Mouth
When it comes to dental care, prevention can go a long way in creating and maintaining not only oral health but can pay dividends with your overall physical health as well.
Brushing and Flossing
Brushing twice a day and flossing once a day is an excellent way to start any prevention program. We always recommend a soft bristle brush for our manual toothbrush users, to help guard against gum recession. Electric toothbrushes, such as the Sonicare or Braun do a superior job of cleaning over a manual toothbrush and we recommend it highly. For those of us who have a tough time flossing, and there are a lot of us, we are now recommending the new AirFloss by Sonicare. This device using a push button, delivers microdroplets of air and water between the teeth to remove the plaque biofilm that grows between the teeth. If you would like to see a short video demonstrating how AirFloss works click here.
Mouthwash
Bad breath is created in an ongoing natural process that occurs in our mouths every day. The millions of bacteria in our mouths break down protein particles that are present in our saliva, creating a foul smelling sulfur gas. It is this gas that causes bad breath. Bad breath as a problem is virtually universal in the form of "morning breath". Traditional mouthwashes can create a fresh breath feeling, but their effects usually only last 30-60 minutes. Dr. Austin has been recommending Smart Mouth Activated mouthwash. Smart Mouth lasts 12 hours. The manufacturer recommends you use this product once in the morning and once in the evening before you go to bed. This product is available in many stores. To find the store nearest you click here.
Brushing twice a day and flossing once a day is an excellent way to start any prevention program. We always recommend a soft bristle brush for our manual toothbrush users, to help guard against gum recession. Electric toothbrushes, such as the Sonicare or Braun do a superior job of cleaning over a manual toothbrush and we recommend it highly. For those of us who have a tough time flossing, and there are a lot of us, we are now recommending the new AirFloss by Sonicare. This device using a push button, delivers microdroplets of air and water between the teeth to remove the plaque biofilm that grows between the teeth. If you would like to see a short video demonstrating how AirFloss works click here.
Mouthwash
Bad breath is created in an ongoing natural process that occurs in our mouths every day. The millions of bacteria in our mouths break down protein particles that are present in our saliva, creating a foul smelling sulfur gas. It is this gas that causes bad breath. Bad breath as a problem is virtually universal in the form of "morning breath". Traditional mouthwashes can create a fresh breath feeling, but their effects usually only last 30-60 minutes. Dr. Austin has been recommending Smart Mouth Activated mouthwash. Smart Mouth lasts 12 hours. The manufacturer recommends you use this product once in the morning and once in the evening before you go to bed. This product is available in many stores. To find the store nearest you click here.
Dry Mouth
Dry mouth can be caused by a variety of reasons. Most common reasons are from prescription medications and age. Other causes for dry mouth include damage of salivary glands by radiation or chemotherapy or some specific diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome, Alzheimer's disease or stroke. Treatment for dry mouth depends on what is causing the problem. If the dry mouth is caused by your medication we would suggest discussing with your doctor the possibility of changing your medication or it's dosage.
Without saliva, tooth decay and gum disease are more likely to occur. If you have a dry mouth, you need to be extra careful about following good oral hygiene habits:
- Brush your teeth after every meal and before bedtime
- Floss your teeth every day
- Use a toothpaste with fluoride. Dr. Austin may prescribe a prescription toothpaste with higher level of fluoride if appropriate.
There are many artificial saliva products on the market such as Biotene to help your dry mouth problem. Products would include toothpastes, mouthwashes, moisturizing gels and gum to name just a few. To minimize dry mouth:
- Carry a water bottle with you during the day and sip throughout the day to maintain moisture in your mouth throughout the day and night.
- Use sugar-free candies, ice chips, or sugarless gum with xylitol to stimulate saliva production.
- Avoid commercial mouthwashes that contain alcohol
- Avoid salty foods, acidic foods, dry foods, high sugar content foods, and caffeine which all dry out the mouth.
A prescription drug, Evoxac, is approved for treating dry mouth in people with Sjorgren's syndrome. Also, scientists are working on ways to repair salivary glands that have been damaged, and are developing an artificial salivary gland that can be implanted into the body. More on that as information becomes available.
