The Importance of Proper At-Home Oral Care

Now is the perfect time to improve your oral care routine.

Want to protect your smile from cavities and gum disease? Of course, you do! However, sometimes people haven’t adopted the proper routines and at-home care to maintain a healthy smile. Sometimes they even forget to visit our Salem, OR, dentist, Dr. Igor Sitnik, for their six-month cleanings. With everyone sheltering in place, now is the perfect time to put your oral routine under the proverbial microscope to find out if there are ways to improve your at-home dental practices.

Know Proper Brushing Technique

If you aren’t brushing properly, then chances are good that you are leaving plaque behind. The ADA recommends angling your brush towards the gum line at 45 degrees and using soft, circular motions across the front of your teeth. Turn the brush vertically so that you can also brush the back of your teeth. Additionally, remember that you aren’t done brushing until you also brush your cheeks and tongue.

Know How Long to Brush

Do you know how long you should be brushing your teeth? Again, the ADA recommends that everyone take at least two minutes to brush their teeth each time they brush. If you don’t have an electric toothbrush with a built-in timer, you should set a timer on your phone or play a song that’s two minutes long. Trust us—you may think that you’re brushing your teeth for two minutes, but you may be surprised to discover that you haven’t been brushing nearly long enough.

Choose the Ideal Toothbrush

There is a lot of debate out there about which toothbrush gets teeth cleaner, a manual or electric toothbrush. Ideally, as long as you are practicing good brushing technique, the type of toothbrush you use shouldn’t matter much. However, there are instances when a person may want to consider switching to an electric toothbrush,

  • You have dexterity issues like arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome
  • You press too hard on your teeth when brushing manually (an electric toothbrush provides the ideal amount of pressure needed to safely clean teeth without wearing away enamel)
  • Your Salem, OR, dentist has told you that you still have a lot of plaque on your teeth when you come in for your six-month checkups
  • You have trouble brushing your teeth for two minutes (many electric toothbrushes have built-in timers, which shut off after the two minutes is up)
  • You have braces or a fixed partial (an electric toothbrush may be able to clean more hard-to-reach spots around brackets, wires, and fixed restorations)

We hope that you and your family are staying healthy during this time. While our Salem, OR, family dentist is not providing routine appointments until the pandemic is over, we are still treating patients dealing with serious dental emergencies. If you or a loved one is dealing with an urgent problem, please call Sitnik Dental at (503) 363-5962.

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Monday:

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Tuesday:

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Wednesday:

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Thursday:

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By Appointments only

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