Note: I am neither a dentist or associated with any dental/medical profession nor am I associated financially with any of the product mentioned herein. My comment below is based my personal expirence and as such, to be read for informational purposes only. Please see your dentist should you have any questions or concerns prior to implementing any changes to your home dental hygiene.

Hi David,

 

Hope all is well. I see you're keeping up the hiking and photography; both admirable pursuits!

 

Although I am not diabetic(yet), I do have signs of pre-diabetes (at age 55) and I am at high risk due to diabetes being on both sides of my family going back 2 generations that I know of. That is why I follow your website/newsletter and hope to put off what may be the inevitable for me. Please note that I have also reduced my intake of flour and sugar based food items and increased my intake of lower glycemic food items as well.

 

Because of the success I've had in improving my dental care and improving my overall oral hygiene over the past 4 years(and reducing my dental expenses), I wanted to share my experiences with you and your readers with the hope that maybe others might benefit from them as well.

 

In the past, I did brush twice a day and flossed regularly, as recommended by just about everyone connected with dentistry. I also purchased electric tooth brushes (the non-rotating models), oral irrigators and used them regularly along with various mouth washes that had advertised "fights gingivitis" among other things.

Unfortunately, none of this kept plaque from building up on my teeth, to the point that the person doing my teeth cleaning asked me if I used floss at all. I was then scheduled for deep cleaning due to redness and irritation caused by plaque under my gums.

My dentist pointed out that eating carbs provide the perfect environment for the development of all my dental problems and that fight plaque is an ongoing process since the bacteria causing the plaque are always present in the mouth. He went on to say that the best we can do is interrupt the process as often as possible to prevent the associated problems. I also heard a guest on the Oprah show state that brushing within 20 minutes of eating is one of the best ways to interrupt the formation of plaque.

 

After this cleaning session, (which really bothered me, by the way), I was determined to do everything in my power to improve my oral hygiene and never have someone ask me "Don't you floss?"

 

To make a long story short, the process that I use to keep my teeth free of visible plaque, eliminate bad breath and that returned my gums to a baby pink color is as follows:

 

1. Gum Proxabrush for use between the teeth. .
2. Oral B "Braun" high speed rotating tooth brush (along with Crest Pro-Health toothpaste) . http://www.oralb.com/en-UK/products/default.aspx#f=0_0-1_0_0&overlay=&s=&rd=
3. WaterPik electric flosser http://www.nydentalstore.com/waterpik-flw310-flosser.html
4. Regular floss.
5. Metal dental pick (question mark shaped end) use gentley.
6. Oral B again with a bit of toothpaste (about 30secs) to brush tongue, polish teeth and clean up anything left over from the other steps. The Oral B that I purchased came with a polishing head.
7. Mouthwash (Crest Pro-health)
8. Dental mirror examination to verify all is well.

 

Notes:
1. IMO, the Oral B does more work in two minutes than anyone can do manually and in my experience, does a better job than the vertical motion tooth brushes. I suggest that one also be kept at work as well so your readers can brush/floss after lunch.

 

2. The WaterPik in NOT an oral irrigator. It uses thin, flexible tips and vibrates. It is advertised to be used between the teeth. I found that the tips are so thin that it can easily go under the gum line.

Thus, I discovered my secret weapon to fight  gum disease and red, puffy gums. It does take practice to use the WaterPik in the way I use it. I insert it under the gum line near the edge of a tooth and then push it into the gum and drag it slowly out and kind a turn the handle so the tip follows the gum line all the way around the tooth to the other side where I push it in again. It took me awhile to get this down. It's also a bit awkward to use on the back teeth but, with practice, it's doable.

 

When I first used it, many specs of white plaque were dislodged. My gums bled terribly and were ultrasensative.  If I waited to brush before going to bed, I would definitely be awake after using the WaterPik. I persevered for many months and began to seem improvement. The redness and puffiness began to disappear along with the sensitivity and bleeding. After about a year, my gums were pink and not puffy although it still took another 6 months for the sensitivity to get to a level 2(10 being worst). I would say it took nearly two years for my gum to really tighten up and look "normal." I can now use the WaterPik with little sensitivity and usually no bleeding. I will get bleeding if I fall asleep w/o brushing my teeth even for one night. That shows you how insidious plaque is!

 

3. I used the dental pick for areas behind my front teeth that are not well aligned and create areas where plaque can build up very easily.

 

4. When I started this process, I fully realized that my gums weren't pink because it was easy to compare them to my grandson's perfect pink ones.

 

5. If I complete the above process at the minimum once a day, it works for me. My rule is: Make every effort to not go to bed w/o going through the process. In my experience, going to bed without brushing one's teeth is setting oneself for dental hell. Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night just to brush my teeth if I've fallen asleep early.

 

So, I do the process before going to bed and I sometimes brush/floss once during the day and sometime twice just to make sure I don't gross people out with food stuck in my teeth. If I brush during the day, a light brushing (one minute) is all it takes to spruce things up. I'll use the Proxabrushes sometimes as well.

6. I still use regular floss because it gets different angles between the teeth and I am pleasantly surprised on a regular basis by the little bits of food it finds here and there.

 

7. The Proxabrushes are necessary if you have receded gums and space between the teeth. Don't force the brush in. Should be a gentle process.

 

Last time I was in the dentist's office, the attendant told me I did NOT need deep cleaning (saved $$) and commented that my home dental care was "perfect." She was kind of wondering what had changed. I haven't had a cavity or any dental work needed in years. I also take pride in having gums the same color as my (now) two grandsons. My wife also tells me that I never have bad breath. Yeah!