Flossing Technique

Flossing is always an important part of oral hygiene, but that’s especially true if you missed a regular cleaning during the stay-at-home order. We at Southern Cross Dental in Colorado Springs want to ensure that our patients are still taking good care of themselves while socially distancing, so we thought it would be a good time to discuss flossing technique.

 

You’ll need about fifteen to eighteen inches of floss to do a thorough job. Wrapping the floss around your middle fingers will allow you to more easily manipulate it using your index fingers and thumbs. Keeping about an inch of floss taut, you’ll want to slide it along the side of each tooth as far as it will go without hurting your gums, and then pull it toward the tooth to wrap it along the tooth’s side. Wiggle it back and forth as you move it back out to make sure you’re gathering as much plaque from the tooth as possible. Keep unspooling more floss as you move from tooth to tooth so you don’t just spread the plaque around, and don’t forget to floss the backs of your back teeth.

 

Remember, plaque can accumulate on the sides of prosthetic teeth, and needs to be cleaned from them, as well. If you have trouble moving the floss, you may benefit from a flosser. If you have braces, you may want to look into floss with stiffened tips that will be easier to thread behind orthodontic wires. You may floss before you brush your teeth or after, but don’t forget to floss at least once a day, and to schedule your make-up appointment as soon as possible.

 

Drs. Navid and Faranak Rahimpour operate Southern Cross Dental at 1855 S Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80905. To schedule an appointment, call 719-471-1717 or visit Southern Cross Dental.

Tips for Cleaning Dentures

Plaque build-up is a  problem everybody has to deal with.  The mouth is an ecosystem that is home to all sorts of bacteria, including a few that will cause decay if left unstopped. When a person gets dentures, they’ll have to make some changes in how they practice their oral hygiene, or else their artificial teeth could also become decayed. As long-time providers of dental care to people of all ages, we at Southern Cross Dental in Colorado Springs wanted to provide some advice on denture maintenance.

 

Dentures need to be brushed twice a day; in the morning and at night. Although they allow people to chew normally, they aren’t as hard as natural teeth, and can be scratched by the fluoride in regular toothpaste. Instead, patients should brush them with American Dental Association-approved specialized toothpaste and maintain separate soft-bristled toothbrushes for their dentures and natural teeth. They should also brush the whole denture, including the pink part that mimics gum tissue, and floss between the false teeth.

 

There are several safe cleaning solutions dentures can be soaked in overnight, although many people get good results just using soap and water. But it is important for dentures to always be kept wet, and for them to be kept at room temperature. Being put in boiling water or being left in a case under harsh sunlight could cause their shape to distort. Patients should also brush their gums and around implant abutments prior to putting their dentures in each morning, and remember to scrape their tongues as they normally do.

 

Drs. Navid and Faranak Rahimpour operate Southern Cross Dental at 1855 S Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80905. To schedule an appointment, call 719-471-1717 or visit Southern Cross Dental.

Denture Stomatitis

When properly fitted and cared for, dentures are comfortable, clean, and aesthetically pleasing. Most of our patients at Southern Cross Dental in Colorado Springs who wear dentures report high satisfaction with their appearance and are in good oral health. But to maintain their oral hygiene, patients need to be on the lookout for denture stomatitis. This type of yeast infection is common, but preventable.

Candida species of fungus are a normal part of the mouth’s biome. Usually, they are kept under control by saliva, which contains enzymes that fight them and helps to remove food debris that could fuel their growth. However, when a person wears a denture, parts of their mouth, such as the roof, may not be exposed to as much saliva. This would give yeast an opportunity to grow.

People with oral yeast infections may not feel any pain, but they can still develop red bumps in the area of infection. Since these sorts of infections most often happen in people with dentures, patients who wear them will have to learn to examine themselves regularly. Fortunately, yeast infections can usually be prevented if the denture is brushed twice a day and kept in a clean container and the patient brushes their mouth before putting the denture in.

Drs. Navid and Faranak Rahimpour operate Southern Cross Dental at 1855 S Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80905-2516. To schedule an appointment, call 719-471-1717 or visit Southern Cross Family Dentistry and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Manual vs. Electric Toothbrushes

When people want to brush their teeth better, we at Southern Cross Dental in Colorado Springs are happy to teach them how. There is a wide variety of dental products out there, but which ones are effective often depend on the user’s knowledge of them. This is best exemplified by the choice between electric and manual toothbrushes.

Electric toothbrushes have the advantage of taking less time and requiring less hand movement. Compared to manual toothbrushes that are used properly, they are not known to be more effective at preventing tooth decay. But to use a manual toothbrush properly, a person must thoroughly scrub every tooth surface for at least two minutes.

The expense of an electric toothbrush may not just be due to its motor. Many are now equipped with Bluetooth technology and can be linked to apps on a phone. These apps include records of a patient’s brushing habits that will inform them if they consistently miss a spot, warnings if a patient is brushing too hard, and children’s games that reward them for completing their daily hygiene routine. While a manual toothbrush is sufficient for most people’s needs, an electric toothbrush could be a great help to people with limited motor control or who have had a very difficult time making good brushing into a habit.

Drs. Navid and Faranak Rahimpour operate Southern Cross Dental at 1855 S Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80905-2516. To schedule an appointment, call 719-471-1717 or visit Southern Cross Family Dentistry and fill out a contact sheet.

 

National Children's Dental Health Month

We treat patients of all ages at Southern Cross Dental and are proud members of the American Dental Association (ADA). Each year, the ADA designates February as National Children’s Dental Health Month. This year’s theme is the proper use of fluoridated toothpaste, so we wanted to help educate our patients about it.

Fluoridated toothpaste provides additional protection against tooth decay. It works according to the same principle as water fluoridation and the fluoride topical treatments we provide pediatric patients. It is essential for children to brush their teeth properly, or else the pain from tooth decay can disrupt their sleep and eating habits and cause speech development delays. When children do brush their teeth, they are learning to take responsibility for their own health, which will bring a lifetime of benefits.

Brushing should be done with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Each session should last for two minutes, during which the brusher covers each tooth surface, as well as their tongue. The toothpaste should be spat out afterward since excessive fluoride intake can discolor the teeth. Fluoride toothpaste should also not be used on mouth guards or other oral appliances.

Drs. Navid and Faranak Rahimpour operate Southern Cross Dental at 1855 S Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80905-2516. To schedule an appointment, call 719-471-1717 or visit Southern Cross Family Dentistry and fill out a contact sheet.