Flossing

Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS of Bayberry Dental Care encourages patients to maintain a great oral health routine at home, and the staff here likes to see patients set themselves up for a lifetime of good oral health.  Regular flossing is essential to maintaining oral health and you should floss once a day, either before or after brushing. Remember these tips to help you floss effectively:

• A strand of dental floss about 18 inches long allows you to wrap the ends of the floss around a finger on each hand. This gives you excellent control over the portion of floss you are using.


• The proper technique to flossing is sliding the floss between the teeth and rubbing the floss back and forth up until you reach your gums.


• Pushing at your gums too hard with floss can damage your gum line and isn’t necessary to floss properly. Think of a small swooping motion as you rub the floss up to one gum, then down and back up towards the other.


• As you move on to the next tooth, adjust the floss to expose an unused portion. Repeat this rubbing motion between each tooth and dispose of the floss once you are finished.

To learn more about oral hygiene and the services we provide, 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.

Have You Had A Cleaning This Year?

Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS and the staff of Bayberry Dental Care encourage all our patients to maintain a great oral health routine at home, but it is still important to come into the office for regular professional cleanings.  During the holidays, we want everyone looking forward to the New Year and maintaining great oral hygiene!  However much you brush and floss, some harmful bacteria grow in your mouth that cause gum disease and can only be removed by a dental professional. 

It’s important to see a professional regularly not just to clean your teeth, but also to locate and monitor areas in the mouth that may need special attention, and a dentist can tell you if you may be missing a spot or skipping an important step in your regular oral care routine.  During a teeth cleaning, a hygienist thoroughly clean the area above and below the gum line with scaling tools to rid them of plaque and tartar. After the surfaces of the teeth are cleaned, the hygienist flosses between every one of your teeth and may apply fluoride if recommended by the dentist. Come see us for a cleaning to make a great impression during the holidays, and start the year off with your best smile!

To learn more about dental health and all the services provided at the 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.

Lip Care in Cold Weather

To take good care of your teeth, you also have to take care of your lips. This time of year, we know everybody in Chicagoland is trying to protect themselves from frigid, dry weather. We want patients at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park to keep their lips from chapping so that they’ll be less vulnerable to dry mouth and teeth misalignments.

Cold air cannot hold much moisture. But liquids on the lips will still evaporate, taking protective oils on the lips with them. For this reason, it is best to avoid taking long, hot showers or baths. But an even worse alternative is sucking on the lips or folding them under the teeth. Children often do this in cold weather and it causes their mouths to become inflamed and painful. Too much of it could also contribute to an open bite and could causes abrasions inside the mouth if the patient is wearing braces.

Lip balm is a reliable way of sealing in moisture, although patients will need to pay attention to which product they use. Some people are allergic to certain fragrances or the chemical menthol. Should they notice their lips becoming inflamed, they should switch to a fragrance-free product immediately. Another strategy is to increase the amount of moisture in the air through the use of humidifiers. Placing humidifiers in the bedroom, in an office, or anywhere else you spend a lot of time makes dry mouth and chapping less likely.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.