“Home health care is important because we can only do so much at the dental office. If you’re not doing the leg work at home, nothing we do here is really going to work.” – Dr. MacBeth
The pride Shades Creek Dental takes in patient education is obvious. In a Facebook Live we did with them earlier this year, Dr. Ron MacBeth plays the patient, and Ms. Rhonda, the lead hygienist, demonstrates a few techniques on him. The tone of the video is fun and laid back while also being full of information everyone needs. Dr. MacBeth himself says he didn’t know how to properly brush and floss until he attended dental school. (Anyone else feel a little less guilty for being confused about how to maximize the flossing experience? Spoiler alert: It’s covered in the video.)
Brush for two minutes, preferably using an electric toothbrush.
Let’s talk build-up. The stuff that makes its home on your teeth acts like double-sided sticky tape, and it takes a full two minutes of brushing to break that down. If you don’t go the distance, the build-up remains, where it does the dirty work of attacking your teeth. But a mere two minutes, twice per day gets through the build-up, making for a much happier mouth.
Electric toothbrushes are great! They aren’t too aggressive with your teeth, and most have a two-minute timer. Yes, it’s possible to brush too aggressively, and your dental enamel as well as gums can be damaged. Dr. MacBeth and Ms. Rhonda recommend an electric toothbrush, but the most important thing is that you’re brushing long enough each time.
One last thing: Brushing three times per day is great. Brushing twice is normal, and your hygienist will be pleased with that. (Did we mention that you need to brush two minutes every time?)
Some places in your mouth are harder to reach, but Shades Creek Dental has you covered.
The back teeth! But here’s the hot tip: Don’t open your mouth too wide, and simply shift your jaw. Using this method, there is plenty of space for your flossing fingers or your toothbrush. Yes, Dr. MacBeth shows the jaw shift in the video. Pro status!
The backs of the lower teeth are often missed. They can be awkward, but they are important! Tip the toothbrush upside down, and brush each tooth individually. You should feel the bristles at the top of the toothbrush hitting your gums.
Don’t brush straight back and forth. Rather, hit the teeth with the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle, and work in small circles. This turns the toothbrush into a spread out broom of sorts, allowing it to clean more effectively. Don’t apply too much pressure because, as Dr. MacBeth points out, the teeth are pretty smooth; you’re simply cleaning things off of them.
Flossing is a big deal, and it’s highly likely that you’ve been doing it wrong. You’re not alone.
Our minds are blown. Remember when Dr. MacBeth mentioned not knowing how to properly brush and floss until dental school and that patient education is a huge part of what his practice does?
Let’s go step-by-step:
Get 18-24″ of floss.
You want clean floss between each tooth to avoid putting gunk from one section right into another.
Wrap the floss around your middle fingers.
If you use your index fingers, you have very little space to work with, and there is no control. The only thing you can do is push harder, and that can be traumatizing to gum tissue.
Use your thumbs and index fingers to control the floss that’s being held by your middle fingers.
(This is where we mention again that watching the video is a good idea.)
This allows you to control the floss and get around the teeth effectively.
Go up and around each tooth, not simply up and down.
The goal is to get around the gum line at the tops of the teeth.
Extra tips on flossing:
The small plastic things that look like toothpicks and have a piece of floss at the end are great when out and about. Rib meat stuck between your teeth after dinner? Perfect. Everyday flossing? Not so much.
Ms. Rhonda says that whatever brand floss you’re going to use consistently is the best brand, but she does love Glide.
The goal is to floss once daily, but your dentist and hygienist will be happy if you floss 3-4 times per week consistently. The key is consistency.
“You only have to floss the teeth you want to keep.” – Dr. MacBeth
Eating plays a role in dental health.
Have you been eyeing a bag of candy corn you know will be 75% off the day after Halloween? Good news! You can have them! The catch: Eat them all at once. Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but Dr. MacBeth and Ms. Rhonda emphasize that frequency is worse than volume when it comes to keeping your teeth healthy. They explain it in the video, but eating turns your saliva acidic, which is what damages the teeth over time. Eating less frequently is helpful from a dental health standpoint. (Side note: Dr. MacBeth addresses this for dental health while pregnant here.)
Keeping your teeth healthy is possible, and Shades Creek Dental wants to help.
With the tips Dr. MacBeth and Ms. Rhonda shared and regular dental visits (the standard is every six months), you can have a very healthy mouth. What does that mean? It means your gums can feel well, your teeth can be clean, and your smile can stay your own well into old age. Shades Creek Dental is a wonderful practice, and a big part of what they do is partnering with patients to understand what dental health really looks like. We appreciate this unique approach to patient education, and we know you will, too!
Shades Creek Dental is accepting new patients, and we’d love for you to give them a call!
(205) 417-2750
Healthcare for Your Teeth with Shades Creek Dental
