For us, providing exceptional dental care doesn’t stop at our front door. Preventive dentistry is a lifestyle we encourage you to live 365 days per year. Brushing is a preventive dentistry practice that can keep your teeth free of food particles and plaque that lead to tooth decay, gingivitis, and periodontal disease. But brushing is only truly effective when done in combination with other techniques including flossing. When you brush your teeth, you’re only cleaning three of the five surfaces of each tooth. The other two interdental surfaces—those facing the adjoining teeth—are mostly beyond the reach of your toothbrush. These areas are also more susceptible to filling failure, should you need them. Dental floss is a preventive dentistry tool specifically designed to reach those areas so that your whole tooth gets cleaned each time. At Lakeview Comprehensive Dentistry of Tavares, FL, Whole Tooth Hygiene™ is our guiding philosophy. As you’ll discover, it’s something we reinforce with everything we do.
With a dedication to preventative dentistry, we are always happy to demonstrate how to practice effective at-home hygiene routines. One of the most important techniques we teach is proper flossing. Many people don’t realize that the wrong method is not only less effective but can be more harmful to your teeth. Moving the floss horizontally can dig into your gums and cause soreness and bleeding. The floss is also more likely to get shredded this way. Wrap the floss around each tooth in a “V” shape and gently move it up and down from the bottom of the tooth to up in the gum area—not side to side—making sure to get it underneath the gums where plaque can easily hide. We consider preventive dentistry the most important kind of dentistry, because it can help you avoid more problems and procedures in the future.
