Floss. Brush. Keep your maintenance appointments. Act on dental issues as they arise. In the long run, these simple acts can save you money and teeth! I have been a hygienist for almost 40 years.  It has been an honor to have the trust of so many exceptional people over the years. I have had the gift of seeing people return year after year with good dental health. This gives the dental practitioner and the patient a great sense of accomplishment.

I cannot begin to count how many times I have counseled patients on successful home care regimens. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000. Here’s what I can say at this point in my career; I hope every patient takes this home care counseling as valuable advice on how to save money and health. Who doesn’t want to do that?

Plaque is one of the components necessary for tooth decay. It accumulates on your teeth- just from living. It can start to reform in as little as four hours. There is a two-step approach to removing it. Brushing and flossing. Brush twice per day. First thing in the morning and before bed. Not too difficult. Then add flossing, every day, anytime during the day, it only takes a minute! I just timed myself. ONE MINUTE! Of course, I’m a hygienist so it might take you a bit longer. Flossing breaks up the interproximal plaque. Most decay starts in between the teeth, in part, from this interproximal plaque. Keep it off! This simple step can save you thousands of dollars it could cost you over the years in restorative dental work.

Keep your preventative dental appointments! The plaque that builds up on your teeth calcifies if not removed effectively. It sneaks into all the places you cannot reach. It becomes a ledge for bacteria to form around, some of these bacteria can contribute to the cause of dental caries and directly cause gingivitis. Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal disease, which will progress over time to cause the supporting bone to pull away from the teeth, leaving them exposed and mobile. This is a much more difficult dental fight to win. Periodontal disease cannot be cured, it is treated, then managed with increased dental appointments. You need help from the professionals to remove the calcified plaque and keep your dental health in check. Don’t skip your dental appointments! Even a couple of years is too long for most people.

Act on dental issues as they arise. This means if Dr. Weber or Dr. Kirk find any dental disease in your mouth and recommend treatment, get it restored.  Dental disease does not heal without treatment. Dental decay progresses with time creating larger areas of decay which can cause the tooth to break or die.  It can, however, be removed and the tooth restored to it’s original shape and health. The sooner you act on it, the less it will cost and the less likely you will be to lose that tooth!

We always strive for the best dental health for our patient family. Please help us out. Brush, floss, keep your dental appointments. See you soon!