National Dental Hygiene Month

Each October, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) celebrates National Dental Hygiene Month. Maintaining proper dental hygiene is critical to a patient’s overall dental health, so the ADHA focuses on reminding the public about the importance of dental hygiene. This year, the ADHA is focusing on four specific topics:

– Brush your teeth twice every day. Brushing helps remove food particles that can turn into plaque over time. Fluoride toothpaste helps remove plaque, prevents tooth decay, and strengthens enamel, keeping your teeth healthy.

– Floss every day. While brushing can clean the biting surface of your teeth, and the surfaces against your tongue and cheek, flossing allows you to remove food from between teeth that cannot be reached with a toothbrush. Failure to floss allows those food particles to break down, feeds bacteria, and encourages tooth decay.

– Rinse with antimicrobial mouthwash. Mouthwash not only rinses away remaining food particles, but it also helps kill bacterial colonies that cause oral health problems, such as gum disease and tooth decay.

– Chew sugar free gum. Where brushing, flossing, and mouthwash may seem obvious, chewing sugar free gum has a number of benefits – it encourages production of saliva to help clean teeth when you’re not able to brush, and the sugar free sweetener (Xylitol) actually has anti-bacterial properties., meaning simply chewing gum can help fight tooth decay.

It’s important to use National Dental Hygiene Month to evaluate your family’s oral hygiene – be sure you’re meeting all four focus points, and your next trip to the dentist will be happier.

Call Dr. Graham E. Farless DDS today for more information on oral health, 336-282-2868. Visit his practice online at www.gsodentist.com.