A Few of Our Favorite Things

5 Things You Should Know About Cold Sores Halitosis – the Malodorous Elephant in the Room

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens are swell, to be sure. What really gets us excited, however, is a well crafted dental hygiene product. (Because really, we’d be in pretty big trouble if we at the dental office DIDN’T geek out over this stuff).

It can be hard for people who don’t spend all their time thinking about dentistry to sort through the available options though. It’s understandable; you’re hit with a literal wall of dental products at every pharmacy! To help, here’s a short list by category of our favorite products to keep those pearly whites healthy.

Toothpaste

Colgate Total: For the majority of patients we just want a solid, fluoridated toothpaste. We like a number of Colgate products and are happy with the results of their basic toothpaste.

Sensodyne Pronamel: For patients who suffer from gum recession or are prone to sensitivity, we’ll recommend a toothpaste with an especially low RDA to make sure they’re treating their gums with appropriate care. Sensodyne is among the most gentle of the options available.

Antiseptic Rinse

Listerine: The gold standard of antiseptic mouth rinse - just make sure you get one of the varieties that says “Antiseptic” on the label. The rinses so labeled will help kill harmful bacteria in the mouth and protect the health of your gums - Listerine Total Care, on the other hand, can’t offer the same kind of protection.

Colgate Total Advance Pro-shield: If you suffer from dry mouth, frequent cold or canker sores, or are just looking for less exposure to alcohol, this is the antiseptic rinse for you!

Fluoride Rinse

ACT: When a patient has a higher risk of caries, we’ll often suggest alternating an antiseptic rinse with this fluoridate rinse at night to help remineralize and strengthen the teeth against decay.

Toothbrush

Sonicare Flexcare Platinum: If you make the decision to go electric, we strongly recommend the Sonicare brand in our office. An electric toothbrush is great for helping overly aggressive brushers control their speed and pressure, as well as encouraging a full two minutes of brushing (the magic number!).

Colgate Wave Sensitive: If you stick with manual, please, soft bristles!! We give out this model in office, but if another one strikes your fancy, a soft brush head is our chief concern.

Floss

Oral-B Glide: To be honest, we don’t much care which floss you’re using as long as you’re doing it daily and properly! That being said, we do like Glide as it is unwaxed and tends to stick less in people’s teeth than some other brands.

Reach Access Flosser: For patients with less than average dexterity or harder to reach areas, we recommend this access flosser to ensure you’re hitting everything that needs it. Heads are one use and replacements are easily found in most drug stores.

Tongue Scraper

Oolitt Tongue Scraper - we know, it’s not the most appealing name. But the tongue, like the teeth and gums, can be a harbor for bacteria and needs some attention! Use these as a supplement to remove bacterial deposits and keep your tongue looking and feeling healthy.