Do you use interdental brushes and floss before using your electric toothbrush?

[♥ Lily ♥]

I had only one tooth with caries (and it was when I was 18) which needed dental filling.
It is genetic apparently (when I was child I ate tons of sweet products) but intresting my parents have much more dental fillings.

That's interesting.

I still have one of my milk (baby) teeth on my lower right side ... which is rare, but it didn't want to fall out... lol.

I only have one small filling (which I had done when I was 24) and last year I had one of my wisdom teeth removed. All my other teeth are fine.... but sometimes my wisdome teeth are difficult to reach and cause a bit of pain whilst cleaning.

My Oriental-English dentist said I have good strong teeth.... but I look after them well and I have a good diet too. I drank a lot of milk as a child (lots of calcium,) and both my parents and grandparents looked after their teeth well and didn't have any missing teeth from what I remember of my grandparents. My Mum has naturally pearly white teeth and she's so proud of her teeth that she even considered being a tooth model once. I remember when I was a child watching her floss her teeth each evening and I learned how to floss from my mum. She flosses, but I don't think she uses interdental brushes as well. I don't think my grandparents flossed their teeth (just used a manual toothbrush on them)... although both my parents used electric toothbrushes when I was a child.

If you look after them well and avoid acidic fruit juices and acidic foods and drinks, coffee (caffeine drains the calcium from your teeth and bones, drains the water from your skin, drains the B vitamins from your hair, causes bad breath and stains the teeth.) Coca-cola/Pepsi which is high in sugars and caffeine. (Diet coke and diet Pepsi contains aspartame - an artificial sweetener which is linked to cancers.) It's best to drink lots of water each day as our bodies mostly consists of water and it flushes out the system and keeps the skin bright and nice... and to make sure you get enough calcium in the diet too.

Using mouthwash straight after meals, cleaning the tongue and flossing and brushing twice daily, seeing the dentist every six months for regular routine checks... then the gums should be healthy and pink (not receding, inflammed, or bleeding,) and the teeth and oral health should be fine.

I get through a lot of toothpaste and mouthwashes each year. I like to use alcohol-free mouthwash.

If the gums bleed whilst cleaning then it's a sign that you need to clean between the teeth more often... as trapped plaque beneath the teeth in the gums causes inflammation and bleeding gums.

I don't have any gaps between my teeth so I have to use the smallest sized interdental brushes in order to reach and clean between each tooth.

[billErobreren]

While I am a habitual smoker as well as a coffee fiend, I know the toll that can take on one's teeth enamel and in true American fashion: I've learned to fuzz a bit too much about my teeth. I floss too often. I own a Braun electric toothbrush which has served me well for nigh on a decade and is very thorough cleaner. Tongue scrapers are a must have. Haven't had a cavity since the age of 9, that may have more to do with my never really having had a sweet tooth.

[♥ Lily ♥]

Thanks, some great tips there I do brush my tongue twice a day, it feels dirty if I don't - however I've just been using my toothbrush to do that, which, after reading your post I suppose only makes my tongue "feel" clean and doesn't actually clean it adequately. I'll order one of those DenTek brushes (and some of that gel, so I can test the difference with and without) and see how much of a difference it makes.

And sorry, I didn't see that you updated your post with the toothbrush information. The reason why I asked about the brush heads is because I feel like mine wear down sooner than the four months of recommended usage that the manufacturers recommend, and I wondered if that's a problem you've also experienced. I've actually got a dental appointment scheduled for Friday so all this information is very useful to me. Thanks for posting

I'm pleased the info has been helpful. The manufacturer's manual for the Oral-B Genius 9000 Electric Toothbrush states to replace the brush heads every 3 months (just like manual toothbrushes are recommended to be replaced every 3 months.)

All of the Oral-B brushes have blue bristle indicators that fade when the brush needs replacing. If the bristles on the brush are splayed and need replacing sooner than 3 months, it's a sign that you may be applying too much pressure whilst brushing according to their instruction manual for the 9000 model.

There's a range of different Oral-B brush heads too (sensitive ones, cross action ones, etc,) which will fit the electric toothbrush handle for the Oral-B 9000 Genius model. They can bought in sets on sites such as Amazon or in large pharmacies such as Boots. (Usually they're cheaper on Amazon though.)

Good luck with your dental appointment.

[Lucas]

That's interesting.

I still have one of my milk (baby) teeth on my lower right side ... which is rare, but it didn't want to fall out... lol.

I only have one small filling (which I had done when I was 24) and last year I had one of my wisdom teeth removed. All my other teeth are fine.... but sometimes my wisdome teeth are difficult to reach and cause a bit of pain whilst cleaning.

My Oriental-English dentist said I have good strong teeth.... but I look after them well and I have a good diet too. I drank a lot of milk as a child (lots of calcium,) and both my parents and grandparents looked after their teeth well and didn't have any missing teeth from what I remember of my grandparents. My Mum has naturally pearly white teeth and she's so proud of her teeth that she even considered being a tooth model once. I remember when I was a child watching her floss her teeth each evening and I learned how to floss from my mum. She flosses, but I don't think she uses interdental brushes as well. I don't think my grandparents flossed their teeth (just used a manual toothbrush on them)... although both my parents used electric toothbrushes when I was a child.

If you look after them well and avoid acidic fruit juices and acidic foods and drinks, coffee (caffeine drains the calcium from your teeth and bones, drains the water from your skin, drains the B vitamins from your hair, causes bad breath and stains the teeth.) Coca-cola/Pepsi which is high in sugars and caffeine. (Diet coke and diet Pepsi contains aspartame - an artificial sweetener which is linked to cancers.) It's best to drink lots of water each day as our bodies mostly consists of water and it flushes out the system and keeps the skin bright and nice... and to make sure you get enough calcium in the diet too.

Using mouthwash straight after meals, cleaning the tongue and flossing and brushing twice daily, seeing the dentist every six months for regular routine checks... then the gums should be healthy and pink (not receding, inflammed, or bleeding,) and the teeth and oral health should be fine.

I get through a lot of toothpaste and mouthwashes each year. I like to use alcohol-free mouthwash.

If the gums bleed whilst cleaning then it's a sign that you need to clean between the teeth more often... as trapped plaque beneath the teeth in the gums causes inflammation and bleeding gums.

I don't have any gaps between my teeth so I have to use the smallest sized interdental brushes in order to reach and clean between each tooth.

You are a dentist btw?

When I was child practically no one in Poland used floss I think. And I cleaned teeth with standard brush, not electric, once a day only. Still no caries.