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Clean Teeth daily teeth routine

8 Tips for Good Dental Hygiene

  1. Brush at least twice daily

    Brushing at least twice a day is the bedrock of good dental health. Brushing your teeth helps break up plaque, a sticky layer of matter that is home to bacteria. It accumulates on the teeth, including in parts of the mouth a toothbrush can’t reach. It is created when the food you eat cause the bacteria in your mouth to produce acids. Plaque also produces compounds that irritate the gums and can sometimes lead to gum disease. At Golden Smiles Dental we recommend brushing your teeth at least twice every day with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Use a brush which is of a small enough size to fit your mouth and allow you to reach all areas easily. Use soft short strokes, reaching the all surfaces of your teeth: the outer, inner, and chewing surfaces. You can also brush your tongue to help freshen your breath. Most dentists recommend to brush between three to four minutes, which is the average length of a song. Choose your favorite song to listen to in the morning and you’ll be sure to go the full length needed.
  2. Use a toothpaste that contains fluoride

    When brushing, use a toothpaste with fluoride in it. Fluoride is a mineral naturally present in foods and water. Fluoride makes the tooth more resistant to the plaque that builds up during the day, helping to prevent tooth decay. It can sometimes even reverse tooth decay! Fluoride is in most kinds of toothpaste, so using a brand with fluoride helps prevent tooth decay while you brush. When you next visit Golden Smiles Dental for a cleaning,you may also have fluoride applied directly to your teeth. Getting fluoride and calcium in your diet is another way to help keep your teeth healthy and cavity-free.
  3. Floss daily

    Flossing gets rid of plaque buildup in areas that brushing cannot reach. Namely, between teeth and under the gum-line. There are a many types of dental floss you can choose from. One, like a dental ribbon, is smoother and more comfortable than traditional floss. A dental ribbon is perfect if your gums ache or bleed when you floss. Flossing is the best way to fight gum disease. If left untreated, gum disease can become a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease among other conditions. Bacteria can also cause bad breath and flossing will improve the appearance of your smile. It is better to floss once a day and to do so slowly than many short sessions over the course of the day. Next time you’re at Golden Smiles Dental or at your dentists office, feel free to ask about the best flossing techniques. The dentists will be happy to demonstrate how to floss the proper way so you can be sure to keep your smile plaque free.
  4. Limit acidic and sugary drinks and food

    Acidic drinks, such as soft drinks, fruit juices, and coffee, will wear down your teeth. When you drink a sugary, or acidic drink, the bacteria in your mouth will interact with the sugar in the drink to create acid. This combined with the acid present in the drink create a double-whammy of acid. These are the two main effects soft drinks have on your teeth: The first is the erosion of the outermost layer of your teeth, called the tooth enamel. When it is damaged it reduces the surface hardness of the tooth. Soft drinks can also affect the next layer of your tooth, which is called the dentin. This damage caused by sugary and acidic drinks can create cavities, which are formed over time as bacteria and plaque build up in a pocket in the enamel of the tooth. You don’t have to completely stop drinking soft drinks. Use a straw to bypass the teeth, and brush soon after to help keep the worst effects at bay. Brushing regularly will help repair your teeth.
  5. Eat foods that protect tooth enamel

    There are a lot of foods that are both tasty and easy to make that help with keep up with your dental health. Consuming these foods instead of high-sugar foods is a great way to help your teeth and help maintain your daily health. Here are just some of them:
    1. Black and green tea contain a substance that helps disrupt the bacteria that live in your mouth. Drinking just a few cups a day can possibly help fight bad breath. Tea contains some compounds that control the bacteria’s creation of order creating substances.
    2. Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables create saliva. Saliva is nature’s natural cavity fighter. Saliva contains minerals like calcium and phosphate which help repair the enamel on your teeth. Dairy products, such as cheese, yogurt and milk, also contain calcium and phosphate that help restore your tooth enamel.
  6. Go to regular check ups

    At Golden Smiles Dental, your dentists is your number one ally in your journey to healthy oral and dental health. Regular check-ups are the best way to keep track of your dental health status and to assess what treatments are needed. You want to have at least two check ups per year, generally two months apart. At the appointment, the dentist will check on your overall oral health, then look for cavities. X-rays might be taken to detect cavities between teeth. They will also look for the buildup of plaque and tartar. Tartar is hardened plaque and cannot be removed by regular brushing. They will also examine your gums, using a special tool to measure the depth of spaces between your teeth and gums. Shallow spaces means healthy gums. Your teeth will also get a thorough cleaning at the visit. Specialized tools are used to clean the tartar that has built up. Next, they will polish your teeth to help remove any surface stains. Finally, your teeth will be flossed to make sure all areas of your teeth are cleaned.
  7. Only use your teeth for chewing food

    Teeth are very easy to chip, break, or damage a tooth when using incorrectly. Hard items will put more stress on your tooth enamel than the enamel can handle. Ice, in particular, is very damaging to tooth enamel. Its hardness and coldness will cause your enamel to expand as you chew. This will cause the enamel to develop tiny cracks. Smoking or chewing tobacco also disrupts your mouth’s immune response and will dry out your mouth. This exposes the roots of your teeth, which doesn’t have the hard enamel of the rest of the tooth. This makes them particularly susceptible to being damaged. Cavities and gum disease are just one common side effect of chewing and smoking tobacco.
  8. Don’t over-brush your teeth.

    It is possible to wear down your tooth enamel through over brushing. Vigorous brushing or brushing too many times a day can wear down the enamel on the teeth, as well as damage and push back the gums. Plaque is so soft that doesn’t need to be scrubbed off. It is so soft it could be removed with a gentle rag. Focus on being thorough in your brushing getting all surfaces of the teeth. Aggressive brushing offers no further benefit. Take a soft-bristled brush and go in slow, short strokes about the size of the tooth, several times in the same spot. Apply just enough pressure to feel the bristles against the gums. If you squish the bristles, you’re pushing too hard.
Follow these eight tips and you’ll be on your way to having fantastic dental health!  If you’d like a free dental examination, call Golden Smiles Dental in Rancho Cucamonga, CA to schedule an appointment.
Dentists in Rancho Cucamonga

What Qualities Should a Good Dentist Have?

When choosing the right dentist in Rancho Cucamonga, it is important to know what to look for. Your dentist should be seen as a long-term partner in your dental health. Not to mention, your oral and dental health are the most important parts of your overall health. The best thing you can do is call up a prospective dentist and ask for a visit or consultation. You don’t want to make the decision based only on a name and an area of expertise. In this article, we’ll explore what qualities make up a good dentist. Take note of which qualities are most important to your dental health and keep those in mind during your consultation.

A good dentist will…

  • Be a great listener. When you visit your prospective dentist in Rancho Cucamonga, you expect them to hear you out, to really try to get to know what your health history has been like, and what problems you might have today. A dentist is expected to diagnose what issues might be going on and to recommend appropriate treatment. A good dentist will actively listen, giving their full attention to their patient. A good dentists is clear and happy to explain any questions or concerns you might have. Dental work can be difficult to understand, or the urgency of the work can be difficult to believe. A good dentist will walk you through each step of the procedure, so you feel comfortable and with entrusting them with your dental health. Bedside manner is very important in any dentist experience, as its the first way you interact with the dentist. Be sure to look for it on your visit!
  • Is conveniently located. Location means everything when looking for a new dentist. You want to find a dentist in Rancho Cucamonga who is located close to work or home. Some people like having their dentist located close to work to save them a commute after a morning appointment. Others prefer the convenience of having a local dentist who is close by in case of needing major treatment. A good local dentist in Rancho Cucamonga is ten times better than having to drive even thirty minutes away. Some dentist offices have multiple branches. If so, be sure that your dentist is available at the location that is the most convenient for you during the times of day you expect you’d schedule most of your appointments. You don’t want to be caught unawares and discover your cleaning is across town and its rush hour!
  • Has clearly laid out fees and expenses. Good dentists are upfront about what you can expect to be covered by insurance, and what the deductible covers. Call your dentists office before hand or ask during your first visit, and see what their payment structure is like. If you need a major treatment done, many dentists will offer a payment plan to help you pay off more expensive treatments. A good dentists will be clear about what options are available to you, and are willing to work with you so that you can get the right treatment.Many dental procedures can be very costly, so it is very necessary to make sure your dentist carries your insurance. Many insurance groups will have a list on their website that show what dentists your insurance covers. You can always call ahead and double check that your prefered dentist in Rancho Cucamonga is covered by your insurance.
  • Keeps updated on the latest developments When looking for a good dentists, you want to choose somebody who takes their profession seriously. Good dentists are expected to attend seminars and workshops to continue their education about the latest developments in their field. Dentistry, like all sciences, is always changing, and new treatments and developments are being made all the time. Oftentimes, these new methods are easier, cost effective, and even less invasive than traditional methods.Your dentist should want to stay current. Next time you visit your dentist in Rancho Cucamonga, ask about what recent trainings or seminars they have attended. The trainings offered at these events give specialized knowledge that can be the difference between a costly referral or an easy treatment done by your trusted dentist.
  • They keep their office clean and employ great staff Next time you’re at your dentist’s office, take a look at how well the offices are maintained. Ask yourself if the staff seem helpful, attentive and courteous. A clean office and a quality staff are a major sign the dentists is good at what they do. A dentist who cares about keeping quality staff, and provides them with a workspace that gives them all the resources they need to succeed is a dentist who cares about their profession.How your dentist treats their work-space says a lot about how they treat their work. A messy waiting room, or disorganized staff are all signs that the dentists may not act as professionally as they should.
  • Can be there in an emergency When looking for a dentist in Rancho Cucamonga, keep in mind what hours of availability your dentist has. You also need to know what emergency hours they keep, or what their procedure for emergency treatments are. A broken crown or toothache are not problems you can schedule an appointment for. When searching for a good dentist, ask about what they do in an emergency situation. Do they have emergency availability, or is there a place they refer you to on off-hours?With that is determining what kind of preventative steps they take to ensure our health is at its best. Do they give you the things you need to keep up with good dental hygiene? Do you feel like your questions are answered and you understand what treatment entails? Ask these and more questions and you’ll get a better idea if your dentist is a good fit for you.
  • Puts your safety and comfort first A great dentist is one who wants to help you feel safe and comfortable during all procedures. Many of us have a lot of fear and anxieties when it comes to going to the dentist, and a good dentists will help assuage those fears. Dental work can be painful, but a good dentists knows to help you get as comfortable as possible. They should listen to any concerns you have and either address them, or find a way to accommodate you better. This goes right along side with good communication.
When assessing your new dentist in Rancho Cucamonga, ask yourself if your dentists makes you feel comfortable. If so, that is a sign you found a great dentist. Keep all these qualities in mind as you search for a new dentists. Finding a dentist in Rancho Cucamonga with all or most of these traits will mean you found a dentist that can really be your lifelong ally in your dental and oral health.