Hello Chattanooga! For ideal oral health, you need both healthy teeth and healthy gums. Proper oral hygiene helps keep both your teeth and gums in good shape.
When brushing, hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle with the bristle tips aimed at the line where the tooth and gum meet. The bristles of a soft toothbrush can clean the food particles in the pockets in front and in the back of the tooth, but you need floss to clean between the teeth. Be sure to get the floss down into the pocket between the gum and teeth. Scrape food particles up and out of the pocket.
Back to toothbrushing: if the toothbrush is not held at the correct angle, the bristles can’t get in the pockets to clean out the bacteria before it turns into enamel-damaging plaque. If plaque builds up in the pockets, the gums can start loosening.
Eventually, the pockets will become too deep for your toothbrush bristles to reach. Unfortunately, the tooth structure below the gumline is more susceptible to decay than the enamel above the gumline.
There is more than one way to damage your teeth—even if the visible parts of your teeth are cavity-free, gum disease can cause problems with the parts you can’t see.
We work with our patients of all ages to establish essential oral hygiene habits.
If you haven’t had a check-up in a while, or are experiencing gum soreness or recession, call Chattanooga Center for Comprehensive Dentistry today at 423-756-1540 to schedule a thorough tooth and gum examination.
During your exam, Dentist Carico will measure the depth of the pockets around each tooth. If you already have gum disease, we will help you restore gum health.
At Chattanooga Center for Comprehensive Dentistry in Chattanooga, we provide comprehensive general and cosmetic dental services including dental implants and sedation dentistry. If your teeth are stained and you want to brighten your smile, ask us about teeth bleaching.
Contact Chattanooga Center for Comprehensive Dentistry:
423-756-1540
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
830 Cherokee Blvd, Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga, Tennessee
37405