Capital City Dental
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Post Treatment Home Care

We want you to keep your teeth and gums healthy for a lifetime.

Remember: You don’t have to clean all your teeth; only the ones you want to keep.

Congratulations! You are on your way to excellent oral health.

There are many things that cause dry mouth. Hundreds of medications, cancer treatments, autoimmune diseases and breathing with your mouth open during sleep are among the most common causes. No matter the cause, dry mouth compromises good oral health.

Dry mouth symptoms include:

  • Bad breath
  • Sore, dry throat and tongue
  • infections in your mouth
  • Sores or cracked skin at the corners of your mouth or on your lips

Some general tips that may help improve saliva flow include:

  • Sucking on xylitol sweetened mints or gum
  • Drinking water
  • Breathing through your nose whenever possible
  • Allday® Dry Mouth Spray


Brush & Toothpaste

Brushing removes plaque and food debris on the chewing, inside and outside tooth surfaces. After flossing, use a soft brush along with a fluoride containing brand-name toothpaste. For the inside and outside surfaces, hold the brush at a 45 degree angle to the teeth and gums and use a gentle back-and-forth motion. This technique will not only clean your teeth, it will also keep your gums healthy. It is important to have the brush contact the teeth and gums at the same time. On the chewing surfaces hold the brush flat and use a gentle scrubbing motion.

Brush for two minutes. That is a long time, but it will be much more effective than the 20-30 seconds that most people do. Since two minutes standing by the sink is much longer than most people think, you may benefit by using a toothbrush timer. Brush at least 2 times a day, especially in the morning and at bedtime.

When done, spit out as much as you can. Don’t swallow any of the toothpaste, and don’t rinse out with any water.

Scrape

After brushing, a tongue scraper followed by a rinse is frequently the best way to control bad breath. 

A tongue scraper is great for removing bacteria and food debris on the tongue. These substances get stuck in the deep crevices of your tongue, and if not removed, the byproducts give you bad breath. The tongue scraper we give you has two sides, regular and soft. Usually you will use the regular side.

Hold the scraper with two hands, between the thumbs and forefingers. Bend the scraper so that it forms a “C”. Stick out your tongue and start scraping from back to front several times. You will notice a creamy film develop on the scraper. Rinse it off. Repeat the scraping and rinsing until the film coming off your tongue is clear.

Rinse and dry the tongue scraper. It is designed to last a long time.

Rinse

After scraping your tongue, it is recommended that you use a non-alcoholic anti-bacterial rinse, such as BreathRx or Crest Pro Health Rinse. An antibacterial rinse is just that, a rinse that cuts down on the bacteria that causes gum disease and cavities, plus it reduces those bacteria and the bacterial byproducts that cause bad breath. This will significantly decrease the bacteria and volatile sulfur compounds (the substances responsible for bad breath). It will improve the health of your mouth and you will be a delight to be near.

Why a non-alcoholic rinse? Most mouth rinses (such as Scope) contain a high percentage of alcohol. Alcohol dries your mouth out. Just put some alcohol on your hand and observe how quickly the skin dries out. Using a mouth rinse with a high alcohol content may make your mouth smell nice for only a short period of time. Once the alcohol begins drying the tongue and gums, your breath can actually smell worse than before you used it. Therefore, an alcoholic mouth rinse is not recommended.

Use a very small amount (you need less than you think) of mouth rinse and swish for 10-15 seconds and spit it out. No rinsing with water.

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