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Patient education

Dental tips and care guides

Everyday habits that keep teeth healthy, what to do after having a tooth taken out, and how to spot gum disease early.

01Everyday care

Dental tips for every day

Most tooth and gum problems are easier to prevent than to fix. These habits make the biggest difference, at any age.

  1. Brush twice a day

    Two minutes, morning and night, with a soft-bristled brush and fluoride toothpaste. Angle the bristles toward the gum line.

  2. Clean between your teeth daily

    A toothbrush cannot reach between teeth. Use floss, small interdental brushes or a water flosser once a day.

  3. Spit, do not rinse

    After brushing, spit out the toothpaste instead of rinsing with water, so the fluoride keeps protecting your teeth.

  4. Keep sugar to mealtimes

    How often you snack or sip sugary drinks matters as much as how much. Save sweets for meals and drink water in between.

  5. Replace your toothbrush

    Every three to four months, or sooner if the bristles look frayed.

  6. Wear a mouthguard for sports

    Contact sports, skating and biking can chip or crack teeth. A custom guard made by a dentist usually fits and protects better than a store-bought one, and we make them here.

  7. Start early with children

    Start brushing as soon as the first tooth comes in. Use a smear of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice until age three, then a pea-sized amount. We see children from the toddler years up.

  8. Avoid tobacco

    Smoking and chewing tobacco raise the risk of gum disease, tooth loss and oral cancer. Quitting helps at any age.

Our dentists' top tip: floss, a lot

Floss every day, and more often if food tends to catch between your teeth. It reaches the plaque a toothbrush leaves behind.

Due for a cleaning?

Most people need a cleaning and checkup every six months.

What happens at a cleaning

02Aftercare

After an extraction

Having a tooth taken out is common, and most people feel better within a few days. The first 24 hours matter most, because a blood clot needs to form and stay in place while the socket heals.

A dentist talking with a patient in the dental chair

Recovery, day by day

  1. First 24 hours

    • Bite gently on the gauze for 30 to 45 minutes. If it is still bleeding, place fresh gauze and bite down again.
    • Rest, and keep your head raised with an extra pillow when you lie down.
    • Hold a cold pack to your cheek for 15 to 20 minutes at a time to reduce swelling.
    • Do not rinse, spit, smoke or drink through a straw. Each of these can loosen the clot.
    • Eat soft, cool foods, and avoid hot drinks until the numbness wears off.
    • Take pain relief exactly as your dentist recommends.

  2. Days 2 and 3

    • Rinse gently with warm salt water (half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) after meals. Let it fall out of your mouth instead of spitting.
    • Brush and floss as normal, but go gently around the socket.
    • Some swelling and stiffness is normal. It usually peaks around day two or three, then eases.

  3. Rest of the week

    • Go back to normal foods slowly, chewing on the other side at first.
    • Keep avoiding smoking and straws.
    • If you have stitches, your dentist will tell you whether they dissolve or need to be removed.

Call the office if

  • Bleeding does not slow down with firm pressure on gauze.
  • Pain gets worse after day two or three instead of better, or you notice a bad taste or smell. This can be a dry socket.
  • You have a fever, or swelling keeps growing after day three.
  • Numbness has not worn off by the next day.

Swelling that makes it hard to breathe or swallow, or signs of a severe allergic reaction, cannot wait. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Questions after your extraction? Call (480) 967-3493 Back to all topics

03Gum health

Gum disease

Gum disease is an infection of the gums and bone that hold your teeth in place, caused by plaque building up along the gum line. It is common, often painless at first, and much easier to treat when it is caught early.

Toothbrushes in a glass jar

The two stages

Gingivitis

Gums look red or puffy and bleed when you brush or floss. The bone and tissue holding the teeth are not damaged yet.

Usually reversible with good daily cleaning and a professional cleaning.

Periodontitis

Gums pull away from the teeth and pockets form where bacteria collect. Over time the bone can wear away and teeth can loosen.

Can be treated and kept from getting worse, but lost bone does not grow back on its own.

Warning signs

  • Gums that bleed when you brush or floss
  • Red, swollen or tender gums
  • Bad breath that does not go away
  • Gums pulling back from your teeth
  • Loose teeth, or a change in how your teeth fit together
  • Pus between your teeth and gums

What raises the risk

  • Smoking or chewing tobacco
  • Diabetes
  • Skipping cleaning between your teeth
  • Pregnancy and other hormone changes
  • Medicines that cause a dry mouth
  • Gum disease in your family

Keeping gums healthy

  1. Brush twice a day and clean between your teeth every day.
  2. Come in for regular cleanings, so tartar that brushing misses is removed.
  3. If gum disease has started, a deep cleaning (scaling and root planing) removes buildup below the gum line.
  4. Advanced cases may need a gum specialist, called a periodontist.

Worried about your gums? Call (480) 967-3493 Back to all topics

Questions?

Ask us about your own teeth

These guides are general information, not a diagnosis. For advice about your own teeth, call or text the office.

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