When you brush and floss as you should, it shows as you visit your family dentist in Kinnelon, NJ Dr. Peter Brusco. The heart of preventive dentistry is a bright smile and healthy gum tissue, and your oral hygiene habits support those wonderful goals.

Good oral hygiene habits

Once formed, good habits (and not-so-good) are hard to break. So, your family dentist in Kinnelon and his professional team urge their patients to think of their smiles as assets to be treasured and maintained for a lifetime.

In keeping with the American Dental Association (ADA) recommendations, Dr. Brusco tells all his patients to:

• Brush twice a day with a soft toothbrush, fluoride toothpaste (non-fluoridated for young children) and clear water. Bristles should be placed at a 45 degree angle to tooth surfaces, and with back and forth strokes, gently clean cheek side, tongue side and chewing surfaces of top and bottom teeth.
• Floss at least once a day. As with brushing, you remove harmful plaque, freshen breath and keep soft tissues free of infection and inflammation.
• Eat well, avoiding junk food, and enjoying fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains and proteins from meats, poultry and fish.
• Change your toothbrush whenever it looks worn or after being sick with a cold.

If you feel deficient in any oral hygiene habit, don't worry. New disciplines take about 30 days to become habits. So, be patient with yourself, and take it one day at a time. Also, when you come to come to the dental office for your exam and cleaning (every six months), ask your hygienist for ways to improve your at-home routines. Yes, patient-centered teaching is an important part of quality preventive dentistry.

Will these habits pay off?

Yes, Dr. Brusco says diligent oral hygiene habits they do pay off, and scientific research makes this claim as well. People who brush their teeth for a full two minutes, as the ADA advises, remove twice as much plaque from tooth surfaces than if they brushed a minute or less. Plaque and hard tartar are filled with bacteria which cause tooth decay and periodontal disease. Take caution, though: don't scrub too hard, and wear down your enamel and abrade your gums.

A well-maintained smile

With daily care and routine visits with Dr. Brusco, your smile can last for the rest of your life. For more information on oral hygiene, please talk to your hygienist and dentist at your next check-up and cleaning appointment. Don't have one? Then, please call Dr. Brusco's office at (973) 838-5862.