KATU Television = Vancouver Family Dental

Brush Your Teeth!

1. Your toothbrush
2. Your brushing technique
3. The toothpaste

Today we’ll focus on the toothpaste, and a few key functions a good toothpaste will provide.

ABRASIVE ACTION:

Most toothpastes come with some abrasive additives — a good thing — which help remove any solid remains on the tooth surface, scrub off stains and even push away the microorganism colonies which lie on the gums and tooth surface. Using only a brush with water does not provides a lesser level of cleaning action.

PLAQUE PREVENTION

Toothpaste has in it some active ingredients like Xylitol, triclosan, etc.  These ingredients are proven to hinder the growth of different kinds of bacteria that grow on your teeth… and also slow down the formation of plaque.  A buildup of plaque on the teeth is a main cause of tooth decay and calculus, and eventually can lead to gum disease.

FLUORIDE

You’ve probably heard of the the many benefits of fluoride, and one of the ways to get a low dose directly on the teeth is through toothpaste.  A tooth is weakened by the many microorganisms that grow on the teeth.  These bacteria affect carbohydrates which produce acids… which can be a major cause of tooth decay.

A toothpaste with fluoride actually combines with something called Hydroxyapatite in your tooth enamel to form Fluorapatite.  This is an important compound as it is resistant to the acid that is formed by bacteria on your teeth.  In fact, this might just be one of the most important functions of toothpaste and fluoridated toothpaste is approved by dental associations around the world.

ADDITIONAL ACTIONS:

You’re probably familiar with other kinds of toothpaste actions such as teeth whitening, treating sensitivity, etc.  These kinds of actions are usually in addition to the basic three actions we already covered  already.  Just make sure function is not sacrificed by marketability.

CAUTIONS:
Although fluoride has been a proven benefit in the prevention of tooth decay and gum disease, it can also lead to fluoride toxicity if a large quantity is consumed.  As adults, we know to spit out our toothpaste and not ingest the majority of fluroide… but children can forget to spit or swallow on reflex.  Be careful to use children’s toothpastes and help them learn the proper methods of brush, spit and rinse.

A second minor warning is to not brush your teeth for more than 2-3 minutes at a time because of teh abrasive materials in the toothpaste.  Excessive brushing can lead to abrasion of the teeth in certain areas.

Happy brushing!

One of the important purposes for our new website was to provide a lot more information and education to our patients. To achieve this goal, our new website operates under the WordPress software, allowing us to add relevant information quickly and easily.

We also want more people to discover our great family practice through the internet and word-of-mouth. We plan to provide information worthy of sharing with others, and give our patients more reason than ever to feel proud of their choice for dental care.

Tell your friends about us! Hope you have a great day.