50 Tips from Dentists

[Daniel E.]

Some excerpts from a Reader's Digest article:

If your hands bled when you washed them, you'd run to the doctor. But in the public's mind, bleeding gums are okay. Unless you're really whaling away with your brush, if your gums bleed even a little, that's periodontal disease, period.
-- Ron Schefdore, DMD, general dentist, Chicago, Illinois

Proper oral hygiene requires ten minutes of brushing and flossing every day. The average adult spends two or three minutes total, and kids do even worse.
-- Joel Slaven, DDS

People who smoke try to cover it up with mints or mouthwash, but that stench is steeped into their gum tissue and the tissues in their mouth.
-- Jennifer Jablow, DDS, cosmetic dentist, New York, New York

A mouthwash with alcohol dries out your mouth -- you'll smell nice and minty for a half hour, but then the bad breath comes back worse than ever.
-- Gary Herskovits, DDS

The electric toothbrush is one of the best things to ever happen to dentistry. The newer ones replicate professional cleaning -- they won't reach much below the gum line, but they're far superior to regular toothbrushes. The cheap ones are okay for kids, but you'll have to pay more than $75 for a really good brush with a warranty and replacement heads.
-- Danine Fresch Gray, DDS

I wish people still used the Waterpik [a water-shooting device that was popular in the 1970s]. Each tooth is surrounded by a putrid, germy moat of saliva. If you replace that moat every day, you'll go a long way toward keeping your mouth clean and your gums healthy.
-- Chris Kammer, DDS

For the past 20 years, we've been telling parents about baby bottle tooth decay and not to let a child go to sleep with a bottle. But I haven't seen much of a change.
-- Winifred J. Booker, DDS, pediatric dentist, Owings Mills, Maryland

If you bleach your teeth too often, it can thin the enamel. Your teeth can end up almost translucent.
-- Jennifer Jablow, DDS

50 Dentist Secrets: DDMs Share Hygiene Advice on Teeth, Gums and More

 

[Daniel E.]

The excitement continues:

In the absence of brushing, the carbohydrates that linger the longest can cause the most damage...Cooked starches, particularly potato starch in products such as potato chips, cling longer to the teeth than many sugar foods, like chocolate bars, thus leading to a longer period of acid production.

Other studies have found that tooth decay is related more to the frequency of eating than to the amount of starch or sugar. The best scenario for the teeth is to eat three meals a day (and, of course, to brush). Saliva naturally washes away residual food during the period between meals. Frequent snacking hurts the teeth because it reintroduces food particles and keeps a thin layer on the teeth all day, enabling plaque buildup.

That is, you can eat a reasonable amount of sweets and not get cavities if you eat the sweets with regular meals and then brush.

The Truth about Tooth Decay | LiveScience

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Tip #52

RUN!!!!!!!

 

[Daniel E.]

Excellent advice, as usual

 

[bluebird]

Great tips and advice - thanks! =)

 

[Banned]

My dentist keeps calling me, saying I'm overdue...I know...but there's just something about sitting in a chair with my mouth wide open and someone poking me with sharp objects. Just can't do it.

 

[Marcel]

My dentist keeps calling me, saying I'm overdue...I know...but there's just something about sitting in a chair with my mouth wide open and someone poking me with sharp objects. Just can't do it.

Good question! I have two tattoos - one is of a cat on my ankle, and one is of a rabbit (Thumper) on my arm.

Speaking of poking with sharp objects....

What about Yuray's suggestion in another thread to have them knock you out while they do their thing?

(And PS I am avoiding the dentist right now so I should really just keep my mouth shut...pardon the pun)

 

[Banned]

Wow that's an old tattoo reference, Buffy, cause I have three now - I got a turtle tattoo two years ago .

I'd get knocked out if they had to do anything more than a cleaning or fillings...so far I'm ok being awake with those being done. Last time I'd been to the dentist though I hadn't been in five years, and they commented on how clean my teeth were and there wasn't much to do, and then charged me a ridiculous amount for a "cleaning"...that was about two years ago so I figure I'm good for another three years .