Wellington:
(04) 801 6228
Lower Hutt:
(04) 570 0520
Flossing—some people swear by it, while others skip it altogether. With so many mixed opinions and conflicting reports on whether flossing actually works, you might be wondering: Is flossing really worth it? The short answer? Yes! But let’s break down why flossing matters and whether it’s a necessary step in your oral care routine.
Flossing removes plaque, food particles, and bacteria from between your teeth and under the gumline—areas that a toothbrush simply can’t reach. If these particles are left behind, they contribute to tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath.
Yes! While some headlines have suggested that there’s "no solid evidence" that flossing helps, the reality is:
So why the confusion? Some studies say that improper flossing techniques make flossing less effective—but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work! It just means flossing correctly is key.
Skipping flossing isn’t just about getting food stuck between your teeth. It can lead to:
Not a fan of traditional floss? Here are some alternatives:
✅ Absolutely! Flossing helps prevent cavities, gum disease, and bad breath—saving you from costly dental treatments down the road. Even if you don’t see immediate results, your gums and teeth will thank you in the long run!
Do you floss daily, or are you trying to build the habit? Let us know in the comments!
Brushing your teeth is something you do every day, but are you doing it correctly? Many people use the wrong technique, missing plaque and bacteria, which can lead to cavities, gum disease, and bad breath.
Using the right brushing method can make a huge difference in your oral health. In this blog, we’ll break down the most effective brushing technique, along with common mistakes to avoid for a healthier smile.
The Modified Bass Technique is widely recommended by dentists and dental hygienists because it effectively removes plaque above and below the gum line while protecting enamel.
🪥 Step 1: Hold Your Brush at a 45° Angle
🌀 Step 2: Use Gentle Circular Motions
⏳ Step 3: Brush for a Full Two Minutes
🦷 Step 4: Cover All Tooth Surfaces
👅 Step 5: Don’t Forget Your Tongue
🚰 Step 6: Rinse & Clean Your Brush
🚨 1. Brushing Too Hard
🚨 2. Using the Wrong Toothbrush
🚨 3. Not Brushing Long Enough
🚨 4. Missing the Gumline & Back Teeth
🚨 5. Rinsing Immediately After Brushing
Both manual and electric toothbrushes can clean effectively when used properly, but electric toothbrushes may have advantages.
| Feature | Manual Toothbrush | Electric Toothbrush |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Good with proper technique | Removes more plaque with less effort |
| Ease of Use | Requires proper technique | Ideal for those with limited dexterity |
| Gum Protection | Can be harsh if used incorrectly | Many have pressure sensors to prevent over-brushing |
| Built-in Timer | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (helps with brushing duration) |
Verdict: If you struggle with proper brushing technique, an electric toothbrush (like Oral-B or Philips Sonicare) may be a better option for thorough cleaning.
✔ Brush at least twice a day (morning and before bed).
✔ If you eat sugary or acidic foods, wait 30 minutes before brushing to prevent enamel damage.
✔ Floss once a day to remove plaque between teeth.
✅ Use the Modified Bass Technique (gentle circles at a 45° angle).
✅ Brush for two minutes twice a day.
✅ Use a soft-bristled toothbrush (manual or electric).
✅ Don’t forget to floss and clean your tongue!
Mastering the right brushing technique can make all the difference in your oral health. With consistency, you'll reduce cavities, prevent gum disease, and keep your smile fresh and healthy!
💬 Do you use an electric or manual toothbrush? What’s your brushing routine? Let us know in the comments!
Dentistry is a field of healthcare that is always rapidly advancing and improving. The technology that dentists have in our practices certainly has changed and gotten better over the years. We stay on top of the latest breakthroughs to provide you the best care when you visit us, and you could be doing the same at home with your dental hygiene routine. Here are a few ways you can put the latest technology to work for your smile at home.
The data isn’t totally conclusive, but recent studies indicate that an electric toothbrush does a slightly better job at reducing plaque and gingivitis inflammation than a manual toothbrush. There are several types of electric toothbrushes and the most common have vibrating brush heads (like Sonicare or Quip) or rotating brush heads (like Oral-B or Goby). In addition to the possible advantage that this enhanced motion provides when cleaning teeth, many dentists also like patients to use electric toothbrushes because many of them have built-in timers that make sure you brush for the full two minutes that we recommend for optimal dental hygiene.
While dental floss has been around since the 1880s, there are newer options for cleaning between your teeth. Water flossers have only been around since the 1960s, and thankfully they keep getting cheaper and smaller. Also called an oral irrigator or known by the brand name Waterpik, a water flosser is a small machine that uses a pulsing jet of water to gently remove plaque and debris from between teeth. While there’s no definitive answer yet, studies indicate that water flossing may be more effective than using dental floss. This may be especially true for patients with braces or oral appliances like dental bridges. If you’ve had trouble making flossing a regular part of your dental hygiene routine, try using a water flosser instead. Many patients find it more convenient and enjoyable.
A very common mistake that people make in their dental hygiene routine is using a worn out toothbrush. Over time, a toothbrush’s bristles get bent and mishapen, making them much less effective at getting into the nooks and crannies of your teeth. While we recommend that people replace their brushes every three months or so, not everyone does. Some companies have caught on to this trend and now offer subscription services for toothbrushes (and floss and toothpaste) that will automatically send you a new toothbrush at the right time.
If you shop on Amazon, you can set up a subscription through their website to send you a new toothbrush or brush replacement head on a regular basis. Independent subscription services include Boka and Quip. If subscription services don’t appeal to you, we recommend using the calendar app on your phone to set a reminder every three months to go buy a new toothbrush!
No matter where you live or what kind of lifestyle you enjoy, chances are you have a habit that could stain your teeth. Whether you’re a coffee lover, a tea enthusiast, or a red wine connoisseur, your teeth might not be as bright as you want them to be. Here are a few tips for reducing staining on your teeth without giving up your favorite foods or beverages.
Drinking water during or after you enjoy your tea, coffee, or red wine can also help reduce stains. That’s because the water can help flush away the staining compounds before they can adhere to your teeth. This is another reason why chewing gum afterward can help reduce stains. Chewing gum promotes saliva production, and saliva can help wash away staining compounds too.
Brushing your teeth can help remove stains because of the abrasive components of toothpaste. But did you know that brushing and flossing can also help prevent stains? You’re more likely to accumulate stains on teeth that have plaque on them. That’s because plaque gives the staining components of your food and drink something to stick to. Think of it like this: coffee sticks to plaque, plaque sticks to your teeth, eventually stains stick to your teeth. But if you don’t have any plaque on your teeth, the staining compounds in coffee have less to hold on to!
This one may sound obvious, but we always have to mention it. When it comes to the damage that smoking can do to your oral and overall health, yellow teeth seems like the least of your worries. But we still can’t emphasize enough that smoking tobacco (or using other tobacco products) does terrible things to the color of your teeth. If having whiter teeth is enough of a motivator to get you to quit, we support you!
If you end up with staining or yellowing teeth despite all the tips listed above, feel free to ask us for advice specific to your individual smile. The professional teeth cleaning you get from the hygienist at your regular checkup can remove some stains. Plus the dentist and hygienist can look at your teeth and let you know what other treatments or lifestyle changes may be helpful.
The best teeth whitening is professional teeth whitening done here at the dentist by a dental professional. Teeth whitening kits from the drug store are effective, but they are more time consuming and may not remove stains as easily. Dentists can also provide a professional, custom version of an at-home whitening kit, with more powerful bleaching gels and bleaching trays that fit your specific teeth. We are happy to discuss which teeth whitening technique that is best for you!
The best way to maintain a healthy smile for a lifetime is great dental health habits. Here are a few hacks to your daily routine beyond the usual brushing and flossing that can help prevent tooth decay.
Washing a great meal down with a beverage can be very satisfying, and you can give you teeth a healthy boost by ensuring the last thing to touch your lips after a meal or a snack is water. Water can help flush away sugar and debris that the bacteria in your mouth would otherwise get to feed on and turn into tooth decay-causing acids.
Both with meals and throughout the day, don’t just stick to bottled water. Many prefer bottled water due to the taste, but you could be doing your teeth a disservice by avoiding fluoride. Over 70% of Americans live in communities with fluoridated water. Fluoride is a natural mineral that can prevent and even reverse tooth decay, and is also found as an active ingredient in toothpastes and mouthwashes (though obviously in much larger concentrations than in tap water). But filtered bottled water has either no fluoride or so little that it has no measurable benefit for your teeth.
All of us know we’re supposed to brush twice a day, and most people brush when they get up in the morning and before bed. But you can give your oral health an extra boost by brushing after every meal, including lunch. The problem is, most of us aren’t at home for lunch, therefore we’re away from our toothbrushes and floss. That’s an easy fix! Just stash a soft bristle toothbrush, a travel size toothpaste and roll of floss at your desk, in your locker, or in your car. You’ll have no excuses to leave the remnants of lunch stuck to your teeth!
Don’t have an extra tooth brush stashed away? Get some sugar free gum. Chewing gum after a meal can be about more than just fun flavors and having something to occupy your mouth. The American Dental Association recognizes that chewing sugar-free gum can actually help prevent cavities. That’s because the act of chewing gum stimulates your mouth to create more saliva, which can help neutralize acids from your foods and flush away debris.
We’ve all heard that the pen is mightier than the sword. You might also say that the toothbrush is mightier than the drill! That’s because if you wield your toothbrush properly, it’s a very powerful weapon against tooth decay & gum disease. But like any tool, if you want it to work best, you need to take care of it. That’s why you need to replace your toothbrush frequently to maintain proper oral hygiene!
The American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush every 3-4 months. Toothbrushes become worn over time & bristles bend & fray they become less effective at cleaning your teeth. A toothbrush with straight, stiff (not hard!) bristles will do the best job.
If you find you often forget to replace your toothbrush on time, try putting a note or a reminder in your personal calendar every 3 months to buy a new one. Always buy soft-bristled toothbrushes. Hard or medium bristles are not necessary to properly or effectively clean your teeth, & may even damage your enamel, making your teeth more vulnerable to tooth decay.
Another good reminder of when to change your toothbrush is when we hand you a new one at your 6-month cleaning appointment! You should replace your toothbrush at least once between every bi-yearly oral hygiene appointment with us.
Not everyone knows this, but toothbrushes will actually show physical signs that it’s time for them to be replaced. The most obvious sign is that the bristles will start to fray & splay outward instead of standing up straight.
(This effect will be more severe if you brush your teeth to hard. If you notice your brush’s bristles fraying very soon after they’re new, it may be a sign that you’re brushing so hard you can damage your teeth or cause sensitivity. How thorough you are is much more important than how hard you brush. Be gentle!)
Many toothbrush manufacturers also build a wear guide into the bristles of their brushes. Most of the time this is in the form of a colored strip of bristles. Once the color on these bristles has faded significantly, it’s time to replace your toothbrush.
Summertime is a great time. The days are longer, we spend more time outside, the kids are out of school, & many of us take trips with family & friends. With all the changes in your routine during the summer, it might be easy to let dental care become less of a priority. Here are a few tips from your dental team to keep you smiling all summer long.
Tempting as it may be, as your dentist we must beg you not to chew on ice during the hot summer months! Just because your teeth are capable of chewing ice does not mean they should. Ice is hard enough to damage your tooth enamel, which is the hard outer layer of your teeth that protects the softer materials below. Place ice cubes in your drink to cool it instead.
Ads for soft drinks love to tempt us during the summer with ads about how wonderfully refreshing their products are, but when it comes to hydration & cooling off, nothing beats good old-fashioned water. Plus, drinking water won’t put you at risk for tooth decay like juices & soft drinks (including diet!). Plus, water can even help prevent tooth decay by washing away sugars & food particles that may be lingering in your mouth from your last meal or snack. So, please remember, soda pop & juices should be treats & you should drink water to stay cool & hydrated during the summer.
When you’re excited for a vacation it’s easy to overlook something when you’re packing your bags. If that something happens to be a toothbrush or floss, you probably won’t have to go very far for help. Though it isn’t common knowledge, most hotel front desks or concierge services have extra dental care products like toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss available for guests for free. All you have to do is ask. This is especially helpful if your vacation spot is far from a convenience store or drug store. By they way, they also tend to have razors & hair combs if you forgot those, too!
Even though most of us grown-ups are still just as busy during the summer, the children in our lives usually have a lot more time on their hands. We suggest you put some of this time to good use by scheduling your child’s semi-annual teeth cleaning & checkup during their summer vacation. The benefit of summer appointments is that you won’t have to pull your child out of class, they won’t have to miss extracurricular activities & their appointment won’t cut into homework time.
Summer is also a great time for college students to visit the dentist. Unless they’re relying on an on-campus dental clinic, most college students should keep coming to their family dentist, even after they’ve moved away for school. Students who are back home visiting family should plan a trip to the dentist during their visit. Scheduling an appointment during the summer also means that their next 6-month appointment will fall during winter break, when they’re likely to be visiting home again.
Regular appointments for children & students are very important, because they’re particularly prone to picking up bad habits that could lead to tooth decay.
Schedule your appointment early! Great summer appointments always fill up.
The best way to choose a toothpaste is to ask for a recommendation from your dentist—they will know your needs the best—but here are some tips for choosing a toothpaste yourself!
What Is Toothpaste?
Toothpastes are gels, pastes or powders that help remove plaque from teeth. They are made of made of small abrasive particles (like silicates & salts), fluoride, humectants (used to keep the paste moist), thickeners (like natural gums, cellulose or seaweed), detergents (for foaming action) & flavoring agents. Different toothpastes do different things—like whitening, preventing gum disease & protecting sensitive teeth—but all ADA complying toothpastes contain fluoride.
What Is Fluoride?
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that helps keep teeth clean & tooth enamel strong by making it more resistant to acids that decay your teeth. Fluoride can be found in tea, wine, raisins, potatoes, lamb & carrots! Some communities also put a safe amount in their tap water. Before water fluoridation, children had about three times as many cavities!
The fluoride you get from food, water & toothpastes is applied topically to your teeth & becomes part of your saliva, which means your teeth get constantly bathed in fluoride throughout the day. It’s a great way to prevent tooth decay & strengthen your enamel.
In addition to fluoride in toothpaste & in drinking water, you dentist may suggest an in-office topical fluoride treatment. This treatment is usually recommended for children, but can also be performed on adults.
Types of Toothpastes
Different toothpastes contain different things to affect the teeth in specific ways. Some toothpastes contain ingredients to reduce tooth sensitivity, to help reduce gingivitis, to remove tartar (a build up of hardened plaque) or to whiten teeth by removing surface stains. You can even find fruit-flavored toothpastes to encourage your children to develop good brushing habits!
Make sure to always use toothpaste with fluoride in it to help prevent tooth decay, but you can find toothpastes with additional ingredients to do all of the above! Ask your dentist which toothpaste is best for your smile.
There have been unanswered calls, deleted voicemails, ignored texts, & friendly reminders that never make it out of the envelope…we both know it’s been a while since you visited the dentist. If all our efforts to reconnect with you haven’t convinced you, maybe the following 5 reasons to see the dentist will get you to take care of your teeth properly again!
If you are experiencing a toothache or pain in your gums or another part of your mouth, you should see us as soon as possible. We know this sounds obvious, but a surprising number of people put off going to the dentist when they’re in pain, either because they think it might get better on it’s own, or they’re afraid of what the treatment will cost. We can tell you from experience putting off getting treatment for a toothache will make it more expensive, not less! Plus, we don’t want any of our patients to be in pain for any length of time. The sooner you see us the sooner we can make the pain go away. If you’re experiencing oral pain, especially if accompanied by swelling or redness, please call right away.
While tooth sensitivity can be a result of relatively harmless things such as over-brushing or sensitivity to chemicals in tooth whitening toothpaste, it can also be a sign of a serious oral health problem. Tooth sensitivity to heat or cold can be a sign of a cracked tooth, a filling that’s gone bad, a cavity, tooth erosion, or even gum disease. If you’ve suddenly developed tooth sensitivity, please come in to see us. Not only will we be able to diagnose potential problems, we can offer treatments or advice that may reduce or eliminate the sensitivity.
Bleeding gums can be a sign of serious oral health problems, particularly gingivitis & gum disease (periodontal disease), which can lead to lots of pain, expense, & tooth extraction. Still, we know that many people see a bit of blood when they brush or floss their teeth & don’t think much of it. But consider this: you wash your hands all the time as a way to prevent disease. If your hands started bleeding every time you washed them, wouldn’t you contact your doctor? Same goes for your mouth: if it bleeds when you brush or floss, call us right away!
It’s easy to forget that your oral health affects your overall health & that the opposite is also true. If you have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, you should let us know, as this condition puts you at higher risk for gum disease & poor oral hygiene has also been shown to exacerbate diabetes symptoms. Patients who are starting treatment for cancer should also contact us, as many cancer treatments can have serious side effects on your oral health. If you’ve recently been put on a medication that causes dry mouth, you may be more prone to tooth decay or other problems, so please let us know which medications you’re on & which side effects you’re experiencing. Women who who have become pregnant should also tell us right away, as pregnancy can create changes in your oral health, particularly your gums. These are just a few examples. If you’ve experienced a serious change in your health, please let us know so we can keep an eye on its effect on your smile.
Your teeth don’t hurt, your gums don’t bleed, you brush & floss regularly, you don’t have that much plaque or tartar build up, your teeth are not too yellow, you think your breath smells fine, so why should you visit the dentist? The truth is, many potential dental problems start with no noticeable symptoms at all. Visiting us regularly for a teeth cleaning & dental exam is the best way to detect unseen problems. For example, we do periodic x-rays of your teeth during your visit because it helps us spot cavities that may be starting between your teeth or under fillings that would otherwise not be visible to the naked eye & aren’t yet causing your pay. When you visit us we can detect signs of a problem that you may not know to look for, such as signs of tooth grinding or even oral cancer. Plus, why would you want to miss out on that wonderful smooth & fresh smile that you can only get after a cleaning at the dentist?
Any dentist will tell you that dental care is important, but what we might not explain is exactly WHY dental care is important. Though you see a different doctor for your physical health than you do for your oral health, much of what your dentist does is connected to your overall health.
The most common reason for visiting the dentist is to get a teeth cleaning. And while professional dental cleanings are a great way to keep your smile bright, they are also vitally important to your health. Cleanings are the dentist’s opportunity to assess your dental health & detect problems that may also affect your general health.
A dentist can tell a lot about you & your health by looking at your mouth. Things like bad breath & the color of your tongue can be indications of health issues that may be affecting your entire body. The level of build up on your teeth (plaque, tartar, etc.) can be an indication of how healthy & balanced your diet is.
Here are a few more examples of how your dental health & your overall health are connected:
With all of this knowledge of how your dental health & your overall health are connected, be sure to keep your cleaning appointment with your dentist & bring up any concerns or questions you may have.
