As you do your best to remain focused on your oral health and to take care of your smile, you will come across products that go beyond your daily floss, brush, and toothpaste. Sometimes, you will feel confident in your knowledge of that particular item and whether it’s safe for your smile. In other cases, however, you may feel quite torn, wondering if this potentially helpful product is safe and beneficial for you or if it happens to come with some serious hazards! Our Ankeny, IA team explores some common areas of uncertainty that patients bring to our attention. For everything else, just give us a call!
Dental Picks: It Depends!
Hoping to clean between teeth quickly? A dental pick is something we will not suggest you use for your daily flossing. However, if you mention during a checkup that you’d like to keep them with you for on-the-go care, we may say that it’s a good idea but only if you’re careful. Consider the following:
- We don’t suggest using the toothpick end, as sharp objects are dangerous for your gum tissue.
- We do suggest using the floss side to clean between teeth. However, this is only good for spot treatment, as you do not want to use the same little bit of floss for more than one space.
- For all over flossing, dental floss is best.
Water Flossers: Safe
A water flosser is one of those products that seems like it could be very good for your oral health but that also seems that it might be too powerful. Good news: It’s safe. However, it’s not a replacement for your brushing or your flossing. So, think of it as a good way to remove additional plaque and to keep your gums healthy if you feel that it may offer you beneficial cleansing power.
Tongue Scrapers: Safe
We know, the name “scraper” lends itself to thoughts of pain or injury. However, tongue scrapers are actually gentle and smooth and can help you remove significant amounts of bacteria from your tongue. It’s safe for your oral health, beneficial, and a good replacement if you are someone who doesn’t like to brush your tongue.
Home Whitening Kits: Unsafe!
Whitening kits aren’t safe! They can damage your oral health without even offering the results you were hoping for. See our team for teeth whitening or any other cosmetic improvement you’d like to achieve for safe care and effective improvement.
Check In With Us When You Have Product Questions
When you are thinking about using a particular product on your smile but you are unsure about its safety for your oral health, remember that gaining a precise and helpful answer is as easy as asking us! Visit us for a dental checkup in Ankeny, IA by contacting Dental Impressions to schedule a visit at (515) 965-0230.
