Some people seem to ignore their mouth and have no decay or periodontal disease. Others must use consistent and detailed oral hygiene practices to keep from losing their teeth. Most people lie somewhere in between these two extremes. Practices that help prevent and control dental problems include:
- Oral Irrigation. Use an oral irrigation device such as the Monoject 412 Syringe or an automatic irrigation device such as the Water Pik or HydroFloss. Irrigate with Listerine solution. If you do not have an irrigation device, vigorously rinse your mouth with Listerine mouthwash solution. A half Listerine and half 3% Hydrogen Peroxide mixture is recommended during active treatment or when you are experiencing bleeding of the gums. This concentration can be diluted with water if it appears to be too strong or it can be made into a paste by adding a little baking soda.
- Brush. Brush your teeth and along the gum line with an automatic toothbrush and toothpaste. There are many excellent brands of automatic toothbrushes which include the Teledyne Plaque Control 3000, SoniCare, SenSonic, Braun Oral B, Rota-Dent, Norelco Dentiflex, OralGiene, Interplax, Colgate Plus, and SuperSonic. If you do not have an automatic toothbrush, a soft toothbrush such as the Crest Complete, Colgate Precision, Butler Gum, or the Oral B Advantage toothbrush can be used.
- Interdental Tool. Use an interdental cleaning tool, if necessary, such as the Butler Gum Proxabrush or an interdental pick to clean the difficult areas between your teeth at the gum line.
- Floss. Floss your teeth with any floss or dental tape. A special floss, such as Glide, can be used if you have tight contacts. If you have bridges or areas that are difficult to get floss between your teeth, use a floss threader to floss under your bridges and in those tight areas.
- Treat Sensitive Teeth. If you are experiencing sensitivity on any surface of your teeth, the regular use of a desensitizing toothpaste such as Sensodyne can help reduce sensitivity if used over a period of weeks.
To reduce costs of dental care for those without dental insurance, many are going to other countries for the savings. Los Algodones, Mexico, has become “the latest boomtown for medical tourism,” with about 350 dentists providing care for prices that are up to 70% less than what U.S. residents typically pay, the Chicago Tribune reports. In late 1990s, U.S. health care costs increased and Arizona began attracting more retirees. As a result, more people in the area began seeking affordable dental care. According to the Tribune, dental offices began to replace bars in Los Algodones, which is on the U.S. border. Experts say one reason costs in Mexico are lower is because the cost of U.S. malpractice insurance is passed on to the consumer.
Oral Hygiene / Dental Care can help with the following
Bad Breath (Halitosis)
The most common cause of bad breath is bacteria on the back of the tongue and between the teeth. Both flossing and tongue brushing may be required to remove bad breath. While bacteria between the teeth is a commonly-recognized cause of bad breath, if flossing does not resolve the condition then tongue cleaning/brushing should be tried in addition.
Tongue brushing involves scrubbing the tongue with a toothbrush. Tongue cleaning utilizes a U-shaped scraper which is drawn over the tongue from back to front. Tongue cleaning causes significantly less gagging than tongue brushing and is a common practice in some cultures. To greatly reduce bad breath, brush, floss and scrape at least daily.
Therabreath is a site dedicated to explaining what causes bad breath, halitosis, dry mouth, taste disorders (sour, bitter, metallic) and how to get rid of these problems using therapies and products based on research. If you’ve been frustrated with commercial products that falsely claim they can attack the germs that cause bad breath, or if you scraped your tongue and still have bad breath, you’ve come to the right place. Since 1994, no one has helped more people with Bad Breath than Dr. Katz — nearly 22,000 have been successfully treated through his California Breath Clinics in the US and internationally, and over 100,000 people in 57 different countries worldwide have used his TheraBreath System formulas to eliminate Halitosis and regain their lost confidence..
Periodontal Disease - Gingivitis
Flossing regularly removes plaque and prevents the buildup of calculus.
Chronic / Hidden Infection
Dr. Price was a dentist and researcher who traveled the world to study the teeth, bones, and diets of native populations living without the “benefit” of modern food. Around the year 1900, Price had been treating persistent root canal infections and became suspicious that root-canaled teeth always remained infected, in spite of treatments. Then one day, he recommended to a woman, wheelchair bound for six years, to have her root canal tooth extracted, even though it appeared to be fine.
She agreed, so he extracted her tooth and then implanted it under the skin of a rabbit. The rabbit amazingly developed the same crippling arthritis as the woman and died from the infection 10 days later. But the woman, now free of the toxic tooth, immediately recovered from her arthritis and could now walk without even the assistance of a cane.
Price discovered that it’s mechanically impossible to sterilize a root-canaled (e.g. root-filled) tooth.
He then went on to show that many chronic degenerative diseases originate from root-filled teeth—the most frequent being heart and circulatory diseases. He actually found 16 different causative bacterial agents for these conditions. But there were also strong correlations between root-filled teeth and diseases of the joints, brain and nervous system. Dr. Price went on to write two groundbreaking books in 1922 detailing his research into the link between dental pathology and chronic illness. Unfortunately, his work was deliberately buried for 70 years, until finally one endodontist named George Meinig recognized the importance of Price’s work and sought to expose the truth.
Susceptibility To Cavities
Proper oral home care on your part and properly spaced dental hygiene prevention appointments will go a long way in reducing your opportunity to have new decay begin.
Black Tongue
Some folks with black hairy tongue also have bad breath and/or a bad taste in the mouth. The usual recommended treatment is to eliminate possible causal factors, and scrape or brush the tongue on a regular basis.
Key
| May do some good |
| Highly recommended |
Glossary
Peroxides
Free radicals that are by-products formed in our bodies when molecules of fat react with oxygen.