Frequently Asked Questions

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• How often should I brush and floss?

  Not everyone likes to floss but everyone needs to floss. Flossing can decrease the number of cavities that you will get and will help maintain the supporting gum and bone of the teeth. It works, it works very well! The old saying says to only floss the teeth you wish to keep, and that is very true.

• Why do my gums bleed when I brush?

  Gum tissue bleeds due to inflammation. Inflammation is caused by an accumulation of bacteria (which is normally in the mouth) and food debris. This combination is called plaque. As the bacteria use the energy of food to multiply they produce materials that are toxic to the gum tissue. It is this process that starts the inflammatory response by the body.

  In order to do this, the circulation is increased where the plaque builds up and we end up with red swollen gums that bleed easily when you brush. This is why the dental community stresses brushing and flossing. In combination, they will minimize the amount of plaque around the teeth. It really works.

• How often do am I supposed to change my toothbrush?

  Your tooth brush should be changed every three months generally speaking. If the bristles start to curl before that time, replace it.

• After recovering from the flu or a cold, should I change my toothbrush?

  The brush should be changed if you are getting over an illness. The brush can harbour the virus or bacteria that was the source of the problem.

• How often should I be brushing my teeth?

  We would like to see our patients to continue dental home care between visits by brushing their teeth three times a day at least. After breakfast, after lunch, and before bed. Students may not be able to brush after lunch, but after school would be great.

• Do I need to floss every day?

  If you want to have healthy teeth and gum tissue you need to floss your teeth. If you want your child to have a healthy mouth you need to floss their teeth for them. It is that simple. We can show you how to flow your teeth and your children’s teeth.

• Can they use an electric toothbrush (i.e. “OralB”)?

  The electric toothbrushes work very well. For children they can simplify the brushing process. You only need to get the brush to the teeth and the brush will do the rest. There is also a novelty aspect to the brushes.

• How old do my children have to be to start going to the dentist?

  Some sources say that a child should be seen when their first tooth erupts. The idea is to try and identify any problems as soon as possible. The difficulty is getting any level of co-operation from the child at such an early age.

  We would certainly encourage the parent to be looking in the child’s mouth on a daily basis to identify anything that appears out of the ordinary. We suggest that the children first come to see us between 2 & 3 years of age.

• Will my kids need braces?

  With most children it will be difficult to say for sure if they will need braces until they are 10-12 years old. We can certainly see trends earlier than this in some cases.

• I hear a lot about oral cancers, is there a way of detecting it and how can I prevent it?

  The best way to detect oral cancer is by visual inspection. At each appointment it is a good idea to have a look at all the areas of the mouth for a change in the tissue. There are systems available that use a specific frequency of light that can help us determine if abnormal tissue is present. These systems can help us pick up the changes in the tissue as early as possible.

  The biggest preventable cause of oral cancer is tobacco use. Either smoking or chewing.