Daily care
Good oral health is achieved with daily care and regular visits to your Culver City dentist. You can life better and healthier with a cleaner mouth and brighter teeth. Dental health requires a systematic plan of daily oral hygiene; by practicing regularly your brushing, flossing and rinsing mouthwash you can save yourself time and money.
Consider these brushing basics from the American Dental Association:
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day.
- Use the proper equipment. Use a fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush. Consider using an electric or battery-operated toothbrush, especially if you have arthritis or other problems that make it difficult to brush effectively.
- Practice good technique. Hold your toothbrush at a slight angle against your teeth and brush with short back-and-forth motions. Remember to brush the inside and chewing surfaces of your teeth, as well as your tongue. Avoid vigorous or harsh scrubbing, which can irritate your gums.
- Know when to replace your toothbrush. Invest in a new toothbrush or a replacement head for your electric toothbrush every three to four months — or sooner if the bristles become frayed.
Good Nutrition
Eating healthy foods that are smile-friendly like milk, eggs, yogurt, peanuts and cheese, will help prevent tooth decay. Other snacks that are good for your teeth are meat, seafood, raw vegetables, plain popcorn, hard-boiled eggs, seeds and nuts. These foods are naturally high in nutrients and low in sugar. A well balanced diet is important your mouth's health, vitamin C is important for tissue health and calcium is important for bone health.
Limiting foods like soft drinks, ice cream, raisins, dried fruits, sweetened juices, chocolate, candies, gum, jellies and other beverages high in sugars, will also help preserve your teeth.
Periodic Examination
Periodic examination is the key to keep your teeth away from oral diseases and treat the ones that already exist. The American Dental Association recommends comprehensive dental exams for all patients that are new to a practice and every three years for established patients. This examination is done to determine any changes in dental and health status since a previous comprehensive or periodic evaluation. A comprehensive exam lays the foundation for the routine check and is much more than just a cleaning.
It is recommended to visit your Culver City dentist every six months, this way you'll allow your dentist to take care of routine maintenance and preventive processes that can help you stop and prevent tooth decay.
X-Rays
Dental X-Rays are pictures of teeth and surrounding bone that dentists use to evaluate and determine problems that could be present on patients’ teeth and can’t be detected by a simple oral examination.
With X-Rays dentist can discover cavities, fractures, tooth decay, bone loss, gum disease, infections, tumors, etc.
Cleanings
Dental Cleanings are very important to prevent tooth decay and oral medical problems. Your dentist will provide you the necessary equipment to keep your mouth healthy and clean in every oral cleaning visit. Your dental hygienist can remove most tobacco, coffee and tea stains. During your cleaning, your hygienist will also polish your teeth to a beautiful shine, resulting in a whiter and brighter smile.
Back to Procedures