Oral Health

How to Brush Your Teeth

The first step is to choose a good toothbrush. You always want to use a soft brush with a small head. A soft brush is hard enough to remove plaque, yet gentle enough not to damage your teeth or gums. The next issue is to select good toothpaste. In general, any toothpaste that contains Fluoride will do the job, unless you have special needs that are determined by your dentist. Two of the best brands of toothpastes are Colgate Total and Crest Multicare.

The first rule of brushing is to start from a specific location and work your way to the opposite side, continuing all the way through the whole mouth so that you end where you started. This way you won’t miss any area. Usually a pea-sized amount of toothpaste is enough. An adequate brushing should at least take 2 minutes and preferably around 4 minutes.

There are a variety of techniques for brushing your teeth, but one of the most popular ones is described here:

Hold the brush at a 45 degree angle toward the teeth and gums. Gently press against the gums so the tips of the bristles go in between the gum and the teeth. Then apply a few lateral strokes and roll down the brush to sweep the plaque away from the teeth and the gum. Repeat this motion 6 to 10 times and move on to the next area of 2 to 3 teeth. If your mouth is full of foam, spit out and continue brushing. Your brushing is completed when you have brushed all the surfaces of your teeth, not when your mouth is full! On chewing surfaces, short strokes work best to get the plaque out of the grooves and pits. When brushing the back side of your front teeth, hold your brush vertically to be able to reach the teeth better.

As far as frequency of brushing is concerned, ideally you want to brush your teeth after each meal. But if you can’t, brush at least twice a day- after breakfast and before going to bed.

How to Floss your Teeth

The surfaces that are between teeth are not accessible to brush; therefore, the best way to clean them is by flossing. The frequency of flossing is like brushing and ideally after each meal, though one time a day (before going to bed) is the minimum necessary.

To start, cut a piece of dental floss (approximately 2 feet). Wrap both sides of the floss around your middle fingers. Using your index and thumb, glide the floss in between all your teeth one by one. When flossing, make sure you are not cutting your gums. The goal is to clean the teeth surfaces, not the gums. In the space in between teeth, press the floss against each side of the tooth (hug the tooth) and gently move it back and forth and up and down. Then move to the opposite surface of the adjacent tooth.

Fluoride and Decay Prevention

Many years ago scientists started to notice that children who were born and raised in areas with natural fluoride in drinking water had fewer cavities than children in other areas. Fluoride absorbed by your body when teeth were forming (during mother’s pregnancy to early childhood) integrates into the structure of enamel and makes it stronger.fluoride

After teeth eruption, fluoride found in your toothpaste, mouthwash, or in what your dentist places on your teeth still has a positive effect on your teeth. It strengthens the enamel and reduces the chance of tooth decay.

If you have children and live in an area that has no fluoride in its drinking water, you should consult your dentist and physician about fluoride tablets that are available for children.

Electric Brush versus Manual Brushes

There have been multiple studies comparing the effectiveness of manual brushes as opposed to electric brushes.electric brush

Although not all electric brushes are the same, these studies conclude that in general electric brushes are more efficient in controlling plaque than manual brushes. Theoretically, you can do a very good brushing with a regular hand brush, but the movements of an electric brush make the task easier and more effective.

Also, some electric brushes (Sonicare) produce sonic vibrations that are difficult to mimic with a hand brush! Other electric brushes like Oral-B and Rotadent have small heads that help you access hard-to-reach areas of your mouth. This aspect is more important when you are talking about someone with orthodontic braces or a history of gum disease.

Bad Breath

There are a few different causes of bad breath. Ranging from stomach problems to diets and teeth problems, most of the causes can be found in the mouth. They are:bad breath

Tongue (when bacteria grows in between the papilla)
Teeth cavities (especially when food particles get stuck in them)
Gum diseases
Extraction sites during healing
Dentures when not cleaned properly
Alcohol and tobacco

If you or someone you know is concerned about bad breath, the first step is a dental check up. Your dentist will be able to confirm or rule out the source of bad breath.

When the cause is found, treatment will be determined and explained by your dentist. If the source of the bad breath is your mouth, there is little chance that mouth washes or mints can treat the problem. They usually mask the problem for a short period of time, and can sometimes exacerbate the situation (mouthwashes that contain alcohol cause dry mouth and usually make the bad breath worse).

These are a few other, non-dental reasons that cause bad breath:

Dental Health and Your Diet

Sugar is the main cause of dental decay when there are bacteria present. More significant than the amount of sugar you eat is the frequency of consumption. diet

Probably the worst thing you can do to your teeth is to drink a soda and have a sip every few minutes over a long period of time; the same is true for snacking. It is recommended that if you want to have a snack or soda or juice it is better to have it after food, as dessert, or have it in one sitting. Eating or drinking something sweet over an extended period of time creates a constant supply of sugar for bacteria that causes tooth decay!

It is important to be aware of all the sources of sugar that are out there. It is not just everything that is sweet, but anything that can turn to sugar like pieces of bread. Cutting down your sugar intake is good for cavity prevention, as well as your general health.

But what about when you have to have sugar? The best way to avoid cavities is to prevent the sugar from staying next to your teeth. Brushing after eating sugar, rinsing your mouth with Fluoride mouth wash, or chewing sugarless gum can help. However, nothing has the effect of avoiding sugar!

Is there any kind of food that prevents tooth decay? Well, not really. Some people believed that chewing foods like apples and carrots may have some plaque removal effect, but they still contain some sugar so any advantage is not clear.

Another group of food that causes significant damage to teeth structure is acidic foods. If in frequent contact with teeth, things like lime, lemon, and grapefruit can cause serious irreversible damage (erosion) to your teeth.

What Our Patients Say

Holly Family Dental

4.9Out of 5 stars

Overall rating out of 240 Google reviews

Helen Rusaw (Sgt. Suds Laundry Powder)
Edited 6 days ago

I highly recommend this team!! Thanks for all your help today ladies. Love your attention to detail and compassionate care... Thanks Again!!

Patrick Loos
a week ago

Had a crown put back on. Took me in on short notice was quick easy.

Sandra Degarmo
2 weeks ago

I had a tooth pulled, the dentist was very good. I liked her and the staff was friendly and helpful. This was my first time there and it won't be my last.

Rebecca Frick
3 weeks ago

I really like 👍 my dentist and her helpers

Mark Clementz
a month ago

Friendly staff very efficient comfortable staff. That's the whole tooth & Nothing but the tooth.

Harry Ruks
Edited a month ago

Nice to see my daughter at work ☺️! Glad to meet some of the staff 😀

catherine dawson
Edited 2 months ago

Gone here for years I thought this dentist was the one that made a mistake it was the other dentist that made a mistake holly dental has good service and the miscommunication was solved I would highly recommend this office they are very willing to communicate and and solve issues and the staff is lovely and very gentle and understanding

Vengeance
2 months ago

Honestly, some of the kindest people I know. Always smiling, asking me how I’m doing, and always willing to help. Highly recommend!

Muriel Bussell
2 months ago

Very thorough. I trust them.

joseph walker
Edited 2 months ago

Holly Family Dental is a great place to go and they have wonderful Associates that have conversations with you.

Bruce Johnson
3 months ago

Always very friendly and accomodating

mitchell macdermaid
3 months ago

they are excellent at what they do

Ally simmons
Edited 3 months ago

Great place everyone super nice!

Lora Franzem
Edited 3 months ago

They are very nice really love the doctor Way she’s so good and helpful Doctor Stephanie Coop is very nice and tells me what I need to do for treatment she fixes my fillings really good

Chrystal Jendrowski
Edited 3 months ago

Dr. Coop, deserves five stars! Her and her staff genuinely care for their patients. I received royal treatment and felt so extremely blessed upon receiving treatment. God bless Dr. Coop and her practice, and all those who work for her.

N G
4 months ago

These guys are so helpful, my pain was intense & they even knew how I felt. I refer these guys 100%, never had a bad experience or anything with these guys.

Claire Aycock
5 months ago

If I could give 10 stars ⭐️ I would the amount of kindness and compassion I was met with the moment I step into the door was astonishing. I have horrible dental anxiety and they made sure to talk me through the process without making me feel belittled due to my anxiety. I will recommend them to everyone!

Lisa HK
Edited 5 months ago

Helpful and friendly! All procedures were thoroughly explained. Clear explanations of insurance.

G.
6 months ago

I’m very happy to see the direction this office is going in. They are kind efficient and professional. They care and they do great work.

Andrew
7 months ago

A wonderful team with deep consideration for patient comfort.

John MARGRAVES
7 months ago

GREAT PATIENCE AND KINDNESS

Shanna Vanduser
7 months ago

Extremely friendly and helpful

Rowland Fox
7 months ago

Very nice staff, will definitely make this office my go to dentist.

Carol Smith
8 months ago

Dr Carolyn Way and the staff at Holly Family Dental are beyond amazing! They had answered so many questions over several days before my appointment and were so friendly and helpful each time. I drove 50 minutes to the office just to see Dr Way! don’t know the other dentist but hear great things about her, as well.

Jennifer Hiney
8 months ago

I feel like I'm part of a family <3 Kali is always looking out for me and has my back. I love showing off my smile now 🙂

Sherry Heffelbower
8 months ago

I am very happy to have Holly Family Dental as my dental provider. All of the staff are very knowledgeable and provide attention to details. I actually enjoy going to my dentist!

Jodie Schweiger
8 months ago

Great location, excellent care and service! Highly recommend!

Erin Polidan
9 months ago

Absolutely love this place! I can’t say enough good things. The calm demeanor, efficient staff, friendly environment. And I typically hate going to the dentist! Highly recommend!!

Eileen Mahlau
9 months ago

The staff is Friendly, professional, and personable. The hygienist was very professional and accommodating. Dr. Stephanie was very good at explaining what work needed to be done to my teeth. Wish I had started with them years ago. Would recommend them to anyone in need of a good dentist.