FLOSSophy

Regardless Of Recent “News,” This Time-Tested, Teeth-Cleaning Technique Works Exceptionally Well!

As part of our “FLOSSophy” at Pinecrest Dental, we’ve proven those brush regularly have a dramatic increase in dental health. At our visits to local elementary schools, we share with the students the rule of 2’s: 2 minutes – 2 times per day – 20 minutes of no food/drink/rinsing afterward.

Are You Familiar With The “Rule Of 2’s?”

Everytime we consume something acidic, sweet or starchy, the damaging residue left behind we call “plaque” sits on our teeth for up to a FULL HOUR! So drinking water and using xylitol are incredibly helpful after meals, as is brushing 2-3 times per day, for 2 minutes at a time.

 

Toothpaste has 2 important roles when brushing: 1) cleaning our teeth, and 2) delivering important minerals to our enamel and teeth such as calcium and fluoride. So, after brushing it is best to avoid eating, drinking or rinsing for 20 minutes (floss and use mouthrinse BEFORE brushing for maximum results) to allow the minerals to penetrate enamel safely. Otherwise they are eaten or washed away before they fully do their job.

Since Brushing Alone Isn’t Enough For Most, What Else Can We Do?

The #1 area we get decay is in-between teeth called the “flossing area.”

 

So what happens when we neglect flossing? Well, up to 35% of each tooth’s surface is missed when we skip flossing. So brushing alone only gets 2/3 of the job done, and that’s where we see THE GREATEST NUMBER of decayed areas on teeth, the “flossing cavities” area!

 

Flossing only needs to be done once per day and takes 30 seconds or less for most adults. Floss picks are bows work well, but regular string floss is great too, whichever you prefer is fine as long as it happens once per day!