Cleaning for Your Smile and Your Body Professional Woodlands Hygiene from Dr. Shirley Cagle

The earliest known toothpaste, referred to in an Egyptian manuscript, was a mixture of flowers and mint.  Other common tooth cleaners through the ages have included talc, honey, fruit and even lizards! Nowadays, toothpaste is an even more important element – along with your regular dental hygiene and cleanings  –  in the process of keeping your gums and teeth strong, healthy and clean. We always recommend that you use a toothpaste containing Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral that helps protect and even repair your tooth’s surfaces by making  teeth more resistant to sugars and acids. Use a pea-sized dot of toothpaste – no more – and brush every surface of your tooth, paying careful attention to your gum line, for at least two minutes. Pressing harder on your toothbrush doesn’t help get your teeth any cleaner than gentle, consistent brushing – in fact it can do a lot more damage than good! And don’t forget, no matter what kind of toothpaste you use or how well you brush your teeth, there is no replacement for your regular dental hygiene visits.  To schedule a hygiene visit or a consultation appointment, call me, Shirley E. Cagle, DDS, FAGD, at our Woodlands dental office at (281) 681-9442.