There is no amount of professional care that can ever hope to substitute for what you are able to do for yourself. The daily home care regimen that you use to remove the bacterial plaque (biofilm) from your oral structures is the MOST IMPORTANT self help activity you can engage in. Bleeding gums leak bacteria into your blood stream that can travel to your vital organs or joints and forever harm your health and well being.
The most important tools, in order of importance, in your home care tool chest are:
- your brush, either power or manual
- dental floss
- tongue scraper
- and oral irrigation
The brush and floss are your primary tools for removing biofilm (plaque) from you teeth, both above and below the gum line, your tongue, cheeks, and palate. The tongue scrapper is to clean the top of your tongue where the papilla collects all manner of debris and bugs. The oral irrigator is good for gross debris dislodgement and removal as well as soft tissue stimulation. It is also a fantastic tool to carry bacteriostatic agents into hard to access nooks and crannies. And yes, you still need to brush. An oral irrigator is not a substitute for brushing; it is an adjunct to a comprehensive plan.
