What Happens During a Dental Cleaning?

No matter how much you diligently brush or floss your teeth at home, harmful bacteria grow in your mouth that can only be removed by a dental professional. These bacteria can cause gum disease and significantly affect your overall health. Here at Bayberry Dental Care, our hygienists will use professional tools to remove plaque, tartar, and bacteria build-up that you are unable to efficiently remove yourself.  

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, it is recommended that a dentist or hygienist perform a dental cleaning every six months. The professional dental cleaning reinforces the home-care oral health regimen of brushing and flossing and gives Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS an opportunity to locate areas in the mouth that may need special attention. During a teeth cleaning, our hygienists will thoroughly clean the area above and below the gum line with scaling tools to rid them of plaque and tartar. Once the surfaces are smooth, polishing is done using a slow speed handpiece with a soft rubber cup that spins on the end. Last but not least, the dentist flosses every crevice between your teeth and may apply fluoride if needed.

If you need your teeth cleaned don’t wait any longer, call us today so we can help you maintain a healthy smile! To learn about services we provide at our practice, visit www.bayberrydentalcare.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS in our Tinley Park, IL office, call Bayberry Dental Care at 708-802-8300. 

Tips for Avoiding Stains While Wearing Braces

While wearing braces, there are a few changes that need to be made to your dental care routine. One of the important but sometimes forgot about reasons is to avoid staining. At Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park, we want to remind our patients that good dental care is not just important for healthy teeth. While wearing braces especially, good dental care is important to keep teeth bright and white.

 

Staining while wearing braces can result in uneven staining when the braces come off. Getting your braces off is supposed to be an awesome day! You do not want them taken off only to unveil strange staining marks. Follow this guide to avoid staining while you are wearing braces!

 

Good Dental Hygiene Good dental hygiene is the biggest part of keeping your chompers white. Dental plaque that builds up from food, drinks, and saliva can turn teeth yellow or dark if not removed frequently. That is why it is important to brush multiple times per day. If you brush once in the morning and once at night, consider squeezing in a third brushing in the middle of the day. Brushing after each meal is a good idea to deter stains from sticking around.

 

Extra Supplies Floss threaders and interdental cleaners will help you clean around your brackets and wires. This is especially important to avoid the uneven staining that can be caused by plaque building up around brackets.

 

Dark Foods and Drinks When it comes to dark foods and drinks, they are okay every now and then but try to avoid consuming them frequently. Examples of these foods are tomatoes, cola, coffee, and blueberries. Rinse your mouth out after consuming dark foods and liquids to help avoid staining. In addition, sip dark drinks through a straw to minimize contact with your teeth.

 

Protect your smile so that when the braces come off, you have a beautiful and straight smile! To schedule your next examination and cleaning here at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park, IL, call us at (708) 802-8300. More information about our practice can be found on our website, www.bayberrydentalcare.com. 

Ways to Make Sure You Brush Long Enough

In the constant hustle and bustle of life, brushing your teeth can become quick and thoughtless. Unfortunately, this can lead to missed spots or not enough brushing. At Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park, IL, we want our patients to know that two minutes are usually needed for an adequate brushing. Take some of our tips for ensuring you are brushing for long enough!

In order to hit all of the areas in your mouth effectively, you should be spending about two minutes brushing. You will want to brush the chewing surfaces of your teeth, the fronts, the insides, the backs of the back molars, along with your tongue, inner cheeks, and the roof of your mouth. One simple way of keeping track of time is by splitting your teeth into four sections. Brush each section for thirty seconds and then be sure to remember the rest of your mouth!

Music players and phones often have timers or countdowns on them so this makes it easy to make sure you are spending two minutes. Plus, if you use a music player, you can jam out to your favorite tune. It can make for a pretty great morning ritual!

Another way of making sure you are spending enough time is so simple it is right in your toothbrush. There are many electric toothbrushes that come with built-in timers that beep or pause buzzing after two minutes.

Spend enough time brushing your teeth and see results when your dentist tells gives you a clean bill of health! To schedule your next cleaning at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park, IL, call us at (708) 802-8300 or visit our website, www.bayberrydentalcare.com.