Home Care Instructions
- Nightguard Care
- Care after Extraction
- Denture Care
- Brushing & Flossing
Care after your Extraction
Check out this short video with post op instructions
Nightguard Care
Your nightguard should be brushed when you brush your teeth in the morning and at night. When not using it, keep it in air (not water). Clean the nightguard with warm water and soap.
If you have any dental work done such as a filling, inlay or crown, please bring you nightguard with you so it can be adjusted to fit the new restoration.
Denture Care
Clean your dentures every day. Cleaning daily with a denture brush and soaking in a cleanser solution will help keep your dentures looking white and bright, while preventing plaque build-up and denture odor. Remove your denture(s) at least once per day for at least 1 hour. Many patients prefer to sleep without them in place. When dentures are not in place, leave them in air (not in water). Leaving them in mouthwash is likely to discolor them.
Rinse and brush your dentures in clean warm water with a denture brush.
Don't brush too hard; after all you don't want to damage any plastic or metal parts of the denture. If needed, moisten the denture brush to avoid damages or scratches to the denture surface.
Brush your gums, tongue, and any natural teeth with a fluoride toothpaste before reinserting your dentures. This will help remove plaque from your teeth, stimulate circulation in your mouth, and help maintain good oral health.
After brushing, rinse with a mouthwash to give your mouth a refreshing feeling.
Never try to adjust your dentures yourself. This may cause harm to your mouth or damage to your denture.
Visit the dentist every 6 months or as told by Dr Estafan.
Oral Hygiene
Modified Bass tecnhique: A systematic and appropriate brushing technique is crucial for an effective oral hygiene. Horizontal scrubbing with much pressure applied has to be avoided under all circumstances. The modified Bass cleaning technique has proven its worth both for people with healthy gums and for gingivitis and patients with periodontal disease.
Place the toothbrush at the gum margin at an angle of 45°. Press the bristles against the teeth and gums softly. Move the toothbrush with small, vibratory to and from motions. Thus, food residues and dental plaque will be removed thoroughly but gently. We don't have a preference for toothpaste, as long as it contains fluoride. Personally, I use one with triclosan, an antimicrobial agent in addition to standard Fluoride (Colgate Total).
Make sure your tooth brush is SOFT. Brush three times per day, preferably after meals. Two full minutes should be spent brushing, using a timer helps. Take 1 minute for the upper jaw and 1 minute for the lower. Then use 30 seconds for the left and 30 seconds for the right side in each jaw. Within the 30 seconds in each quadrant, spend 15 seconds on the outside (cheek side/lip side) and 15 seconds on the inside (tongue side/palate side).
Flossing
Step 1:
Take about 18 inches (50cm) of floss and loosely wrap most of it around each middle finger (wrapping more around one finger than the other) leaving 2 inches (5cm) of floss in between.
Step 2:
With your thumbs and index fingers holding the floss taut, gently slide it down between your teeth, while being careful not to snap it down on your gums.
Step 3:
Curve the floss around each tooth in a "C" shape and gently move it up and down the sides of each tooth, including under the gumline. Unroll a new section of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.
Cleaning around Bridges & Implants
Teeth that have crowns, bridges and those supported by implants must be cleaned as frequently as natural teeth. Teeth that have crowns, bridges and root canals are susceptible to tooth decay and persiodontal disease if they are not properly cleaned.
Ask Dr Estafan to show you how to use FLOSS THREADERS and INTERDENTAL BRUSHES to clean around restorations like these. We always have samples on hand, so please do not hesitate to ask - or click here to find them on Amazon
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