brushing your teeth

When you’re fast asleep, the last thing you’re thinking about is your teeth. (Unless you’re having a dental dream, of course.) So it’s important to make sure that your teeth are well protected before you hit the hay for a long night of sleep. We’ve put together a short checklist that you can use every night before you go to bed to keep your teeth protected all night long.

• Brush your teeth before bed

Not brushing before bed is one of the worst decisions you can make for your teeth. If you leave food and plaque inside your mouth, bacteria can eat away at your teeth all night long. This can quickly lead to cavities, tooth decay and gum disease. That’s why it’s important to brush away any plaque that has built up over the course of the day with toothpaste and a toothbrush.

• Don’t forget to floss

Brushing is just your first line of defense against plaque. Unfortunately, most brush bristles can’t effectively clear out food and plaque stuck between your teeth. That’s where floss comes in. Flossing can get rid of hard-to-reach plaque that might otherwise cause tooth decay between your teeth and irritate your gums during the night.

• Finish up your cleaning with a little mouthwash

Your nighttime cleaning routine shouldn’t end with flossing! While many people may only think of mouthwash as a way to freshen their breath, it can do a lot more than that. Swishing mouthwash correctly can destroy any lingering bacteria and wash away leftover loose plaque in your mouth. When you use mouthwash, make sure to swish it back and forth, reaching every area from the top of your gums to your lower front teeth. Gargle a few seconds before you spit, making sure not to swallow.

• Don’t eat after you clean your teeth

The last thing you want to do after cleaning your teeth is get them dirty again with food. Try to finish eating before you clean your teeth at night. If you eat after brushing and flossing, the acid from the bacteria in your food will attack your teeth and gums while you’re asleep. Food isn’t the only culprit here. Any drinks that provide a food source for bacteria (like sugar) can also lead to bacteria growth overnight. You want to make sure to get rid of these bacteria before you call it a night.

• Put on your mouthguard - or consider one if you grind your teeth

Grinding your teeth can wear them down, leading to serious problems such as broken teeth, migraines and TMJ disease. If you have a nightguard from your dentist, it’s important that you wear it every night so that you avoid damaging your teeth by grinding.
If you don’t currently have a nightguard, it’s important to know the symptoms of teeth grinding and clenching in case you need one. Since you’re not conscious while you sleep, it can be difficult to know if you grind your teeth during the night. The following are symptoms of grinding and clenching that can help you identify if you have a problem:

• Chipped or broken teeth
• Teeth that are worn down with flattened surfaces
• Pain in your jaw
• Damaged tissue in your mouth
• Headaches or pain in your face
• Earaches from your jaw
• Sensitive teeth
• Enamel loss
• Irregular tongue edges

If you live with your partner, you can also ask them if they have ever noticed that you grind your teeth during the night. A dentist should also be able to recognize if you grind or clench your teeth.
We hope this little guide helps you to protect your teeth while you’re sleeping. If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to us on our Facebook page! Here at Water Tower Dental Care, we’re devoting to providing you with the tools and information you need to keep your smile healthy and happy. And for more information about selecting a pillow, visit Sleep Healthier.

If you’re a fan of DIY dental care, you’ve probably heard of using baking soda to clean and whiten your teeth. Before you take on any DIY healthcare you read about online, it’s important to do your research. Using baking soda too regularly could cause irreversible damage to your enamel. However, that doesn’t mean you should never use baking soda on your teeth. Let’s explore if baking soda is actually good for your teeth now.

What is Baking Soda?

In many people’s homes, baking soda doesn’t leave the kitchen. But baking soda actually has a tremendous variety uses. From cleaning your bathroom to making your clothes smell better, it’s pretty amazing to see what baking soda can do.
Technically speaking, baking soda is a salt called sodium bicarbonate. It usually comes in the form of white powder, though it can also be seen as a small crystal. Along with a host of other uses, baking soda has become a popular ingredient for cleaning teeth

Why Do People Use Baking Soda On Their Teeth?

So why would people use a popular baking ingredient on their teeth? Well, baking soda has actually proven to provide some pretty great teeth cleaning benefits. According to the Journal of Clinical Dentistry, those who brushed their teeth with baking soda experienced significantly better plaque removal than those who brushed their teeth without baking soda.
Baking soda has also been found to effectively remove surface stains on teeth, making them look whiter. However, baking soda can only help with surface stains. For more severe stains, you will want to speak to your dentist about professional teeth whitening treatments. Finally, it can also make your breath smell better and it’s incredibly cheap - typically around $1 for a box that will last a while.
How does a simple household product provide all of these benefits? Baking soda is made up of a chemical compound that makes it a mild abrasive. Baking soda’s abrasiveness allows it to clean stains off of your teeth so well. Though the American Dental Association (ADA) has not approved brushing teeth with just baking soda, they have accepted toothpaste with baking soda in it.

How Can Baking Soda Be Bad For Your Teeth?

Just because baking soda has been found to be good for your teeth in some instances doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious with it. Overdoing it with baking soda can cause irreversible damage to your teeth. And, like we mentioned above, the ADA has not approved brushing your teeth with pure baking soda.
Since baking soda is abrasive, you can cause irreversible damage to your teeth’s enamel by eroding it if you continue to use it over time. This erosion can cause your teeth to become sensitive and makes you more vulnerable to cavities.
Baking soda also doesn’t contain fluoride, so you will need to use a regular toothpaste as well to ensure your teeth stay strong and to prevent cavities.
Finally, you will want to avoid using baking soda on your teeth if you wear braces or permanent retainers. Baking soda can soften the glue in braces and permanent retainers. The last thing you want to do is pay for new braces due to baking soda.
While baking soda can be an excellent way to keep your teeth looking and feeling healthy, you need to make sure you’re using it safely. At Water Tower Dental Care, we can recommend safe and effective dental care products that include baking soda to ensure that you are keeping your teeth as healthy as they can be. If you have more severe teeth staining than baking soda can help with, contact us to discuss professional teeth whitening. We can brighten your teeth up to eight shades in about one hour with Zoom! Teeth Whitening!

The last thing you want is yellow teeth after years of wearing braces. But unfortunately, it’s a very common occurrence. If you don’t take care of your mouth while you’re wearing braces, you might be surprised to see white squares where your braces were on yellow-stained teeth after your dentist removes them. Thankfully, it’s easy to avoid this experience. Here are some reasons why people get yellow teeth after braces and how to prevent this from happening. We’ll also talk about how you can fix stained teeth after braces.

Brush Properly With A Toothbrush Made for Braces

With all the brackets and wires crowding your teeth, it’s easy for plaque to build up in hard-to-reach places. That’s why it’s especially important for you to brush properly when you have braces. When plaque is left to sit on your teeth, your teeth start to decay, causing them to turn yellow.
People with braces should ask their dentist about electric toothbrushes that are specifically designed for mouths with braces. These brushes will have bristles that are made to remove plaque around brackets and get through wires.

Floss Every Day, Getting Those Hard-to-Reach Spots

Having braces can feel like a great excuse to not floss, since it’s harder to reach the spaces between your teeth. But with more bacteria buildup, it’s extremely important to floss with braces. Just like with brushing, flossing every day will help keep your teeth from decaying and turning yellow.
Superfloss is the best type of floss for people with braces. It’s made up of three types of floss: soft spongy floss, a stiffened-end threader, and regular floss. The stiffened-end threader makes it easier to get between your braces, and the large spongy floss helps you clean around your brackets and wires.

Avoid Tooth-Staining Food

Some food and drinks contain colored properties that can stick to your teeth’s enamel and change their beautiful white color to yellow. These include soda and “sports drinks”, hard and gummy candy, red wine, and coffee. It’s best to avoid these teeth-staining foods and drinks as often as possible, or slowly consume them with glass of water. When you do eat or drink them, wash out your mouth and brush afterwards to keep them from staining your teeth.

Don’t Smoke

Smoking is a big culprit of yellowing teeth, along with other horrible diseases and issues. There’s really no good reason to continue smoking. One of the many effects of smoking is yellowing teeth, caused by the nicotine and tar in tobacco. This can occur not just from smoking, but also from chewing tobacco. Tobacco use is one thing you should quit for good - not just when you have braces.

Use Invisalign Instead of Traditional Braces

If you haven’t had braces yet, you should consider using Invisalign instead of traditional braces. Since Invisalign braces are removable, it’s much easier to keep your braces and teeth clean, reducing the chance that your teeth will turn yellow. Brushing and flossing will be exactly the same as when you didn’t have braces!

Receive Teeth Whitening Treatment After Braces

If your teeth begin yellowing while you have braces, you don’t have to say goodbye to your pearly whites for good. Ask your dentist about teeth whitening after braces! At Water Tower Dental Care, we use Zoom! Teeth Whitening to change the color of your teeth dramatically after just one visit. This leading teeth whitening system brightens up your smile up to 8 shades in about an hour. It’s as easy as that.
Don’t settle for a yellow smile. Contact us to learn more about whitening your teeth after braces! There’s no better place to bring back your beautiful smile than at Chicago’s top cosmetic dentistry.

We love to see our patients taking care of their teeth with proper brushing habits. While most people brush twice a day, we do get some asking if they can brush their teeth too much and damage their teeth that way. Many people are surprised to hear our answer: yes, you can actually brush too much. But before you start cutting down your time with your toothbrush, keep reading to find out exactly what brushing too much means.

Over-Brushing: What Happens If You Brush Your Teeth Too Much?

While brushing regularly is extremely important, you can brush so much that you harm yourself. According to the Wall Street Journal, between 10% and 12% of the population have damaged their teeth or gums due to over brushing. This damage results in sensitive teeth, receding gums and wear around your tooth’s root.
If you brush your teeth excessively more than the suggested two times a day for three minutes each time, your teeth may become sensitive. This sensitivity could be a result of worn down enamel caused by over-brushing. You could also have pushed back your gums and exposed the root area of your teeth, which is sensitive.
The best way to stop this type of damage from getting worse is to cut back on brushing, apply less pressure and use a brush with a softer bristle. Enamel remineralization treatment can also help to make your teeth less sensitive. In the worst case scenario, gum grafts can help fix receding gums by covering up the sensitive teeth roots with soft tissue from the roof of your mouth.

How Much is Too Much?

The best way to avoid all of the problems that come with brushing your teeth too much is to avoid over-brushing. Though we usually recommend brushing your teeth twice a day, it can be beneficial to lightly brush after lunch or sugary snacks, waiting a minimum of 30 minutes. Still, try to avoid brushing more than three times a day for three minutes each time on a regular basis. When you do brush, don’t use hard bristles that can easily damage your teeth and gums, and don’t apply too much pressure. A gentle, circular brushing motion on each of your teeth two times a day should keep your smile clean and glistening.

Why Is Brushing Your Teeth So Important?

Brushing your teeth with toothpaste is essential to your oral health. Every morning and night, you should spend at least two to three minutes brushing your teeth with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. We recommend using an electronic toothbrush because they tend to be more effective at breaking up plaque than traditional brushes. For proper brushing technique, take a look at our article here.
By brushing correctly, you’re breaking down the plaque that eats away at your teeth and causes cavities. But it’s not only your teeth that benefit from brushing. Your gums do too. Plaque also causes a gum disease called gingivitis, which makes your gums sore and swollen and can lead to more serious complications in the future. So if you have a good brushing technique, keep it up!
If you have any more questions about how much you should brush your teeth, what toothbrush you should buy, or brushing technique, don’t be afraid to contact us! Everyone’s smile is different, so we may have some tips that are unique to you and aren’t covered in this article. After all, it’s our job to keep your individual smile healthy and bright!

It may seem elementary to you, but believe it or not, many people still don't brush their teeth correctly. Either they don't do it for long enough time, concentrate on the wrong areas, brush too hard, or just completely misuse the toothbrush. For our Water Tower Dental Care patients, and anyone else that has discovered our blog, we would like to provide you with the steps to properly brushing your teeth.

Common Brushing Mistakes

Timing

First, one of the most common mistakes made when brushing is not taking the amount of time needed to properly clean. To effectively brush your teeth, you should spend at least two minutes. If you need a good measure of time, sing the Beatles 'All My Loving,' or hum the Happy Birthday song eight times in a row. Seems like a long time, but in reality, you need to give your teeth this much focus every time you brush.

Frequency & Strength

Another common mistake is people often brush too many times and too hard. Rather than brushing five times a day, really quickly, with extreme force, take the two minutes to effectively brush your teeth two to three times a day with a soft yet efficient hand. Brushing too often and too hard can expose the root of the tooth and cause irritation. That can then cause pain in the gums. Brushing too hard can wear away at tooth enamel as well. Using an electric toothbrush, like the Pilips Sonicare, can help prevent any enamel wear.

How to Properly Brush Your Teeth

So now you know the common mistakes of brushing, let's focus on how to properly brush.

Wet the toothbrush and apply a thin strip of toothpaste. Although there is a plethora of toothbrushes to choose from, we don't recommend a specific design of brush, rather it's more important to find a brush that if manual is soft and if electric, ultrasonic. Richard H. Price, DMD and consumer advisor for the American Dental Association has been famously quoted saying, "It's not the toothbrush, it's the brusher."

However, selection in toothpaste can matter. It's important to choose a toothpaste that focuses on any issues you may have. With a wide variety of toothpastes available, you can find one specific to your conditions, perhaps a toothpaste that focuses on cavities, gingivitis, tartar, stained teeth, or sensitivity. For better help with toothpaste, make an appointment with Water Tower Dental Care to help decide what is best for you.
When using a manual soft toothbrush, start by brushing the outer surface of your upper teeth, then your lower. Keep the bristles at a 45-degree angle from your teeth and sweep or roll away from the gum line. Your gums are very sensitive and must be treated with care when brushing. Never brush up, into the gums, always away. When using an electric ultrasonic toothbrush, hold bristles at a 45-degree angle at gum line and slowly move brush across teeth.
After the outer surface, focus on the inner surface of the teeth, first the upper then lower teeth. Again, brush away from the gums at a 45-degree angle.
Clean the chewing surfaces of the teeth. You can be slightly more aggressive with the surface of the teeth, but nothing too hard. Pay extra attention to the hard-to-reach back teeth and areas around fillings or crowns.
Once you've finished on the teeth, give your tongue a gentle brush to remove any bacteria and to keep your breath fresh longer. We highly recommend using a tongue scraper as well.
 

You’re All Done!

That's all it takes to keep bright, clean teeth everyday. Make sure to floss before you brush. If you don't floss, we recommend you start.
Remember to replace your toothbrush, or brush head, about every three months or when there are visible signs of wear. If you recently had a cold or any other sickness, you should replace your toothbrush as soon as you're better. Often a toothbrush can collect the germs that cause the sickness and induce another infection.
If you have any more questions about brushing your teeth or proper dental care, do not hesitate to contact Water Tower Dental Care, the number one dentist in Chicago, we would be happy to help with any of your needs.