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Getting started at home
Here are a few suggestions that you can do before you go to the dentist for the first time.
Most people, who haven’t been to the dentist for a long time, have never had the experience of professional cleaning. If you have then it may have been uncomfortable or painful.
Your gums may bleed every time you brush them, and they may be very sore to touch. Effective cleaning at home eventually becomes impossible. Hard deposits of calculus build up both above and below the gum line. Gum disease can be invisible until the deposits, plaque, and the bacteria in it have caused a substantial amount of destruction of the underlying jawbone.
The outcome for some people is that teeth become increasingly wobbly, begin to be painful and abscesses can develop. When front teeth become mobile it is often the trigger for people to seek help for their dental phobia. Another problem is that all the bacteria and infected gums cause bad breath, the poor condition of the teeth becomes apparent to other people, and this causes social and emotional problems for the dental phobic.
Starting to change your teeth-cleaning regime at home can help to make improvements in your gum health. Your gums should become less sensitive and sore and the bleeding will reduce.
When you eventually have your teeth professionally cleaned the treatment will be much more comfortable.
1.Get an Electric Toothbrush
The main choice is between a sonic brush and a normal one. Both do a good job and there is good scientific evidence that a power brush cleans better than a manual one. I like the Oral B. range. That is a personal preference and I have no commercial links with the manufacturers of any products that are suggested. If cost is a factor to you are not sure if you will get on with an electric toothbrush, then buy one of the cheaper models such as the Vitality range.
I have the Oral- B. Triumph Professional 9900, which has a separate wireless timer that helps to make sure I spend enough time using it effectively.
There is a wide range of different heads available to use with these.
2. Manual Brushes
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When your gums are sore you may need to start with a soft brush so that you can brush effectively and for long enough. There are many different makes, shapes, and sizes on the market and it is a question of finding a brush style that you like. Medium bristles are a good choice. If you have a problem with gagging when you place a brush at the back of your mouth, get a very small brush head for that area, and use very little toothpaste on it.
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