Dentist

Serving Salem, Nashua, and Manchester, New Hampshire

Good Dental Hygiene

Dentist, Dr. Mathew and the dental team at Exceptional Dentistry are enthusiastic about teaching good dental hygiene. They place a high priority on patient education, because effective self-care maintains the beauty of your smile and the good dental health that supports it.

Most people know to brush their teeth at least once a day, although not everybody flosses each day. Daily brushing and flossing are a foundation stone of good dental health, and using a good technique will give you best results.

Effective Teeth Brushing

An electric toothbrush is an excellent investment for your dental health. There are many to choose from so a little research can tell you which one would be best for you. Some are designed for a smaller mouth, some have rechargeable batteries, and the size of the brush head varies.

However, a manual toothbrush can also do an excellent job when it is well-used. You get best results from brushing with short strokes, then longer strokes away from the gums. Try to cover all surfaces of each tooth: front, back, and chewing surface. Be sure to brush along the gum line as this is often where decay begins.

• Use a soft brush so as not to hurt the gum tissue. Injured gum tissue will recede from the teeth.
• Use a smaller brush if necessary, to make sure you can reach the back teeth surfaces
• Use toothpaste that does not say “Whitening” on the box. You may have to search a bit to find one. Those toothpastes contain abrasive ingredients that remove enamel as well as food and plaque.
• Brush your tongue to remove bacteria hiding in the tiny crevices
• Brush for about two minutes to be sure you clean thoroughly
• Buy a new toothbrush every three months for best effectiveness

Some recent studies have suggested that it is better to brush before you floss. That removes a lot of bacteria so they are not pushed into the gums when you floss.

Effective Flossing

Flossing is important because no toothbrush can clean the side surfaces where each tooth is close against its neighbors. Decay can easily start in those places and will damage both teeth.

• Use at least 15 inches of floss so you have a fresh piece in each crevice;
• Use a vertical movement, about eight strokes in each place;
• Curve the floss around one tooth and then around the neighboring tooth, to cover the entire side surfaces;
• If your teeth are very close together, try not to slam the floss too hard against the gums. There are different thicknesses of floss so buy one that will slide between your teeth without breaking.
• If you floss just once a day, do it at bedtime.

Regular Checkups and Professional Cleaning

Brushing and flossing remove food particles and plaque, which is a mix of bacteria and their acidic excretions. When plaque is left too long on the teeth, it hardens into tartar (also called calculus) which cannot be removed by brushing or flossing. It is the beginning of early gum disease.

That is why regular cleaning by a dental hygienist is so important for your dental health. Our hygienist is highly skilled and easy to work with and will carefully restore your teeth to one hundred percent polished brightness. Dr. Mathew likes to do regular checkups for his patients so as to detect any new little problems as early as possible. That saves you from needing more extensive dental work later on. You can read more about how early detection is done on the Technology page.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with our Dentist, Dr. Paul Mathew for a checkup, please use our online form and we will respond promptly. We put a high priority on your comfort and will give you a friendly welcome followed by world-class dental care. If you are in the areas of Salem, Brookline, or Manchester in New Hampshire, we are here to serve you with good dental hygiene information.

      Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures
      Schedule a Free Cosmetic Dentistry Consultation
      Site Map