Preventive Dentistry
Brush selection
You can use an approved toothbrush, but the most important thing is to know how to use it. Using an electric or battery toothbrush. You can use an electric or battery toothbrush. They are a good alternative to manual brushes. However, you should remember that you should choose the ones with soft bristles. At the same time, the brushing time should be at least two minutes. The point you should pay special attention to when using these brushes is not to brush hard. If you brush hard, you can damage your gums and cause a gingival recession.
Choosing the right toothpaste
Toothpastes do not only help to clean your teeth. It also helps to reduce plaque formation and tartar formation, whiten, protect gum health and protect against tooth decay thanks to the substances it contains. The vast majority of toothpastes contain fluoride. This is not only effective in preventing tooth decay, but also in stopping caries and reversing the caries formation process. In mouths where tartar forms rapidly, toothpastes that reduce tartar formation can be used. People with stained teeth can use toothpastes with whitening effect, but it should be remembered that these toothpastes can only affect cigarette, coffee and tea stains on the surface of the teeth. If you have deeper discoloration, you should consult your dentist.
Tooth brushing
There are many different tooth brushing methods. You can learn the most suitable method for you by contacting your dentist. You should brush your teeth at least twice a day. It is recommended to brush your teeth just before going to sleep, as saliva flow decreases during sleep and bacterial acids can easily form. Brushing your teeth in the morning can be done before or after breakfast. Brushing the teeth after breakfast is better as it will ensure that food residues are removed from the mouth. Do not brush your teeth more than three times a day. Brushing your teeth after lunch provides midday mouth and teeth cleaning. Brushing your teeth too often can cause gum recession. Brush your teeth gently. You should brush your teeth softly. A hard brushing can damage your gums and cause them to recede. You should brush your teeth for at least two minutes. This is the minimum time required to clean all your teeth. You should have a habit about brushing. It is important to brush your teeth in the same order every day. Thus, it is possible to clean every part of your mouth without skipping any area during tooth brushing. You should change your brush regularly. When the bristles of your toothbrush start to bend, you should change it. Throw away your toothbrush after using it for three months.
Use of dental floss
Brushing cannot remove 100% of the bacterial plaque. By brushing the teeth only, the plaque between the teeth remains intact. The use of dental floss is suitable for cleaning the interdental surfaces.
How to use dental floss?
Place the intermediate part of the thread, which you hold with both hands, between the two teeth, giving direction with your index and thumb fingers. Clean the surface by moving the floss from the gingiva to the tooth after resting it against the tooth. Then repeat the cleaning movement by leaning the floss against the other tooth without removing it from the gap. It is enough to do the cleaning process with dental floss once after brushing your teeth at night.
Other ways to clean between teeth
If the spaces between the teeth are wide, interdental brushes can be used to clean these areas. Small interdental brushes can be used comfortably between teeth due to their fine bristle structure and the fact that they are made in various sizes. Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment can also use interdental brushes to clean between brackets and wires.
Other cleaning methods
Mouth showers
With electric tools, water is pumped with or without fine vibration. Thus, the by-products of food and bacteria between the teeth are removed by pressurized water from the gingival pockets or between orthodontic appliances. Mouth showers are definitely not an alternative to tooth brushing and flossing. However, they can be used in addition to flossing and brushing.
Mouthwashes and mouthwashes
Like toothpaste, the choice of mouthwashes and mouthwashes depends on your personal care needs.
Fluorine applications
Pregnant women and children up to 6 months; fluoride tablets should never be used. Fluoride helps to harden the glaze on your teeth. Fluoride in the water you drink increases the resistance of your teeth against the acid effect. In this way, it helps to slow down tooth decay. Your dentist will tell you whether there is enough fluoride in the water you drink and show you how to increase the amount of fluoride by taking fluoride drops and fluoride tablets.
Your dentist can also stain your teeth with fluoride, which will help to strengthen the glaze on your teeth. You should use fluoride toothpaste when cleaning your teeth. In children aged 6 months – 3 years, if the amount of fluoride in the drinking water is more than 0.3 ppm, it should not be used. If the amount of fluoride in the drinking water is less than 0.3 ppm, 0.25 mg fluoride tablets should be used daily only in the high risk group (if there is caries formation). In children over 3 years of age, if the amount of fluoride in drinking water is more than 0.3 ppm, it should not be used. If the amount of fluoride in drinking water is less than 0.3 ppm, 0.25 mg fluoride tablets should be used daily. This amount should be 0.50 mg in the high risk group (in those with caries formation). In adults; fluoride tablets do not need to be used.
Fissure sealant
Since the tooth enamel is not fully developed when the teeth first erupt, the newly erupted teeth are generally less resistant to caries and are favorable for caries formation. The ideal time for the application of Fissure Sealants is the first months when these teeth erupt. In addition, your child’s first teeth, milk teeth, can also be protected against decay with Fissure Sealants. If the decayed tooth has progressed to the dentin area, which is the lower layer of the enamel, PRR (Preventive Resin Restoration), which is a protective restoration (filling) rather than Fissure Sealant, may be more appropriate for your child’s oral dental health. It should not be forgotten that dental caries progress very rapidly, especially in children, more precisely in young teeth that have just erupted. For this reason, it is very important to apply Fissure Sealants without losing time. Fissure Sealant applications are a painless and extremely easy procedure. Children’s fear of the dentist is a situation known to all of us. Thanks to Fissure Sealant applications, children’s fear of dentists can be significantly reduced. With this application, the Pedodontist-Child-Family (Pedodontic Triangle) relationship can be maximized. Fissure Sealant Application First of all, the tooth to be treated with Fissure Sealant is isolated from saliva with Rubber Dam or cotton tampons. This process is very important for the Fissure Sealant to adhere to the tooth surface. Then, the surface roughener in gel consistency is applied on the tooth and the area to be applied is prepared. Fluid Fissure Sealant is applied to the tooth and hardened with the help of blue light (Beam Filling Device). All these procedures take about 3-5 minutes and your child does not feel any pain during the procedure. After the Fissure Sealant application, your child can eat and drink something immediately if he/she wants. It does not cause any problem.
