The last dentist I saw is a clean-teeth fanatic. On my first visit, he showed me several studies from Sweden. The participants who really got their teeth clean didn't get gum disease and almost never got cavities. He said that brushing and flossing alone get about 50% of the plaque off our teeth. For the rest, he recommended a triangle-shaped toothpick-like tool. (Stim-u-dent is one brand name.)
Before he found the studies from Sweden, he came up with Seven Steps to Great Dental Health. He adamantly insisted that we should all go through these once a day, and mentioned that people that follow his instructions don't need to see a dentist or get professional cleanings as often.
After several months of doing the seven steps daily, my husband visited another dentist. Her comment was, "If everyone had teeth as clean as yours, we'd all go out of business."
Quote:
Seven Steps to Great Dental Health - recommended by Martin Nigrelle, DDS:
1 - Lather up with toothpaste.
2 - Insert a moist Stim-u-dent between teeth; move it in and out, scraping the sides between your teeth; and then trace along the edges of the gum line.
3 - Brush thoroughly.
4 - Floss, "polishing" the teeth with a shoe-shine motion.
5 - Rinse.
6 - Brush again, focusing on the tongue side. (The Swedes use a shorter triangle-shaped toothpick on the inside. Since those are hard to get in the US, my dentist recommends a thorough brushing on the inside instead.)
7 - Rinse again.
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