Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS

By Arthur Kezian

As your friendly, family dentist will always tell you whenever you pay them an affable visit, do not neglect your dental hygiene. It is very important. Do you know what would happen if you neglect brushing and flossing your teeth?

One reason why people get damaged teeth and sensitivity is because of wrong tooth brushing. Remember that it is important to know the right technique or else having the wrong habit will continue to destroy your teeth. There are several tooth brushing techniques dentists usually recommend.

Remember that kids still need to be brushed by their parents or an adult up to the age of nine. Their motor skills are still not that developed yet so don’t let them just brush amongst themselves. The suggested brushing technique for kids 9 years old and below is the “scrub technique”. Let them brush for at least 2 minutes.

a2a3 (1)For children 10-15 years of age, make use of the “bass technique”, where you need to brush at a 45 degree angle and brush forward and backward in a short vibratory way.

Then for adults, the “modified bass technique” is recommended, from the 45 degree angle plus the forward and backward vibratory movement, add a little circular movement too and gently massage into the gums.

Try to clean your teeth carefully and thoroughly by starting at the back portion of the mouth, either on top or the bottom, and try moving it back and forth, cleaning every pit, groove and surface, first on the side, then the top, then back to the side. Repeat the brushing movement if necessary.

For all ages, make sure that the bristles of your toothbrush are soft and brush for 3 minutes. Make the habit of brushing correctly a good and fun activity to avoid getting your teeth damaged.

px1 (1)b1 (2)As part of a good oral hygiene regimen, it is also important to include flossing in your habit. Cleaning in between teeth is important because cavities can also start there.

Here is the proper flossing technique: 

Step One:

  • Take about 18 inches (50cm) of dental floss and loosely wrap most of it around each middle finger (wrapping more around one finger than the other) leaving 2 inches (5cm) of floss in between.

Step Two:

  • Now with your thumb and index fingers holding the floss taut, gently slide it down between your teeth, while being careful not to snap it down on your gums.

Step Three:

  • Try to curve the floss around each tooth in a “C” shape and gently move it up and down the sides of each tooth, including under the gum line.

As your dentist, Dr. Arthur Kezian and his staff will always look forward to providing you with techniques on how to improve your oral hygiene. Remember that prevention is still the best way of having a healthy smile. As much as possible, make sure that you maintain good oral hygiene. Visit your dentist at least twice a year for dental check-up and prophylaxis.

Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS 443 N. Larchmont Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90004 (323) 467-2777