Most people, it’s safe to assume, brush their teeth once, maybe twice a day. After breakfast, perhaps. Again before bed. Maybe in between. For years, this has been considered fine: brush your teeth a few times a day and enjoy peak oral health for a lifetime. 

The truth is, brushing your teeth isn’t complex, but it’s not as simple as you may have been led to believe. Even the most thorough among us may be able to optimize their brushing routine (and in so doing their oral health) by giving a little bit more attention to this first line of defense against tooth decay, root canal infections and gum disease. 

How to (Really) Brush Your Teeth

First things first, you need a good toothbrush to effectively clean your teeth. We strongly recommend the Diamond Clean Sonicare. 

Sonicare smart brushes deliver up to 62,000 brush movements per minute, giving you the equivalent results of a whole month’s worth of manual brushing in just two minutes! To us this is the most effective and yet gentle clean you can get. 

Besides a good toothbrush, it is also important that your toothpaste contain fluoride – a mineral essential for keeping enamel strong. The Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the American Public Health Organization, the American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics encourage its use in both toothpaste and water.

With your fluoride toothpaste and electric toothbrush, you’re ready to get started. Here’s what you do:

• Starting with the outer surface of the teeth, brush side-to-side, making sure to hit all areas. If your toothbrush is manual, hold it at a 45-degree angle. Moving from outer surfaces to biting surfaces and finally to the back of the teeth.
• Brush after every meal and snack for at least two minutes. If you have eaten something acidic or sweet, wait for 30 minutes before brushing to allow enamel to recover. Drinking water during this time can help flush bacteria and acid from the surface of teeth.
• Floss before you brush every morning and night. It used to be assumed that flossing was equally effective both before and after brushing, but new evidence suggests the optimal sequence is flossing first and brushing after. And if you’re finishing off with a mouthwash, wait for half an hour after flossing and brushing. This allows the fluoride from your toothpaste to do its job before being rinsed away.

Professional Care

Even if you have the most impressive at home routine, it cannot help but benefit from professional care. Many oral health issues can occur quickly – even in healthy individuals – making biannual visits an important part of your overall healthcare routine.

Remember, issues like gum disease can increase risks for serious health problems including heart attack, kidney failure, pancreatic cancer, and dementia. The better care you take of your teeth, the lower your risk of these potentially deadly conditions.

To schedule your next appointment at Dr. Bell’s office, please call 512-327-7750 today. During this visit, we can discuss ways for you to optimize your daily routine and answer any questions you have about the best and most effective ways to brush your teeth.

Happy Brushing in 2020!

This month, communities across Austin, West Lake Hills and the country are preparing for a new school year. Dr. Michael Bell, your General and Cosmetic dentist in 78746, wants to remind you that you can start off with a beautiful, confident smile with a quick back-to-school teeth whitening treatment!

We’re excited to announce a new Back-to-School, End of Summer Whitening Sale for dramatically brighter smiles! Now through the end of September, we are taking $100 off our in-office whitening and $50 off the take-home whitening.

The take-home whitening consists of professionally made whitening trays made from accurate dental impressions, with 16% or 22% Venus White Max Gel. In-office whitening is done in about an hour and a half with a direct application of Venus White Max (a 36% hydrogen peroxide whitening gel). When in-office whitening is chosen, a set of custom whitening trays are also made and given with touch-up gel for at home use. We usually recommend touching up about every 3 to 4 months depending on habits like smoking, heavy tea and coffee consumption.

Press the Refresh Button on Your Smile

Tooth discoloration and staining is a natural side-effect of aging — or, as we like to think of it, of a life well-lived. Repeated exposure to highly-pigmented items like coffee, red wine, and dark chocolate causes the teeth to gradually darken over time. Tobacco use, poor dental hygiene, and certain medications also play a role in dental discoloration. Chronic mouth breathing can darken teeth as well.  If you have started to notice your teeth looking a little dingier than you’d like, it’s time for a professional teeth whitening. After the application, teeth are dramatically whiter — and you are flashing your most confident smile yet.

Why Choose Professional Teeth Whitening?

With so many whitening options available at the pharmacy, what’s the point in investing in professional teeth whitening? It’s a valid question — but we want to remind you that nothing is as strong as the professional-grade whitening solution found with the Venus White Max Whitening offered by Dr. Bell. Over-the-counter options just don’t whiten as well. What’s more, Dr. Bell can take special factors, like tooth sensitivity, into consideration. And since when was a smile one-size-fits-all? White strips and other generic teeth whitening kits can put your gum tissue at risk for exposure to the bleaching gel. For the best, safest, most effective results, professional teeth whitening at the dental office is the way to go.

Maintaining Your Whitening Results

Immediately after you have completed your professional teeth whitening treatment, your teeth will be more susceptible to the items that caused them to discolor in the first place. To avoid diminishing your whitening results, do not use tobacco and stay away from dark foods and beverages for the first two days. These include coffee, dark soda, ripe berries, red wine, rare steak, and other items. A good rule of thumb is that if it can stain your shirt, it can stain your teeth. Protect your smile by sticking to white or light-colored foods right at first. Baked chicken and potatoes, anyone?

Schedule Back-to-School Whitening Today!

Get ready to look your best this fall with a quick back-to-school teeth whitening with Dr. Bell and his team! Contact us to schedule an appointment today before this limited time special ends. We can’t wait to show you just how fantastic your smile can look.

Ask us for a toothpaste recommendation

Your toothpaste might be lying to you

Long ago, marketers for brown sugar learned a neat little bit of information that allowed them to sell a lot of brown sugar: Most people tended to believe that brown sugar was healthier than white sugar. But of course, it’s not. This misconception likely stemmed from the fact that certain products in their raw or natural or unbleached form were better than their more processed alternatives.

Toothpaste marketers are tricky too

Standard tap water has the same amount of fluoride, ounce for ounce, as “fluoride toothpaste.” But toothpaste marketers have conditioned us to think that if we don’t use a brand that promotes fluoride, we are missing out.

You knew it was gonna happen some day.

Yep, bacon-flavored toothpaste

Choosing toothpaste used to be easy because there were only a handful of brands. You either picked Crest or Colgate, or perhaps you used baking soda. Today you know how confusing it can be to walk down the toothpaste aisle. You have to consider features such as special whiteners, tarter control, breath fresheners, fluoride, antibacterial, and more. And yes, there is bacon-flavored toothpaste.

How do you choose?

Everyone has different needs. Some people have sensitive teeth and gums, for example. And some have a unique body chemistry that might make them more prone to tarter or breath issues. To get a great toothpaste recommendation, we recommend that you contact us. We can evaluate your unique needs and give you a toothpaste recommendation that’s a perfect fit.