謝泳思的博客

 

Take care of your SMILE! :)

2015-10-27

As mentioned in my introduction I am a Registered Dental Hygienist. Some of my skills as a dental hygienist include: cleaning, instructing oral hygiene techniques (brushing, flossing), taking radio-graphs and administering local anesthetic (Freezing/sleepy juice).

Let me share the routine I do every day to keep my smile bright!

Disclaimer: Although I am a professional, I believe in client specific care. It is best to consult your own dentist or dental hygienist for treatment plan and home care routine that is specifically recommended for you.

1.Flossing – I floss daily! I cannot stress the importance of flossing! Food and bacteria gets trapped in between the teeth and under the gums that a toothbrush will not be able to reach. This is what we call plaque. Plaque, if not removed can calcify or “harden” and turn into tartar. Tartar cannot be removed from brushing and flossing and you will need to see a dental professional to remove them. It harbors a lot of bacteria that can cause gum disease and bad breath.
2.Brush – Flossing removes plaque in between and under the gums while brushing removes plaque on the smooth surfaces of your teeth! I personally like to use an electronic toothbrush to brush my teeth and I have tried a variety of brands. Remember to brush all surfaces of your teeth! Back, front and the chewing surfaces! To make sure I do not miss a spot I like to section my mouth into 4 quadrants.  Upper left, upper right, lower left and lower right. I make sure I brush all surfaces of one quadrant before moving onto the next.
3.Tongue scraping – Do you know your tongue surface has little dents and grooves? Whenever you eat, food and bacteria get stuck into the little grooves and causes bad breath and a coated tongue. Your tongue should be pink! I find that a tongue scraper works a lot better than brushing with a toothbrush. Check your local drug store for a tongue scraper! It cleans amazingly well and you will never look back! Food will taste better and breath will smell fresher!
4.Mouth wash – Your mouth consists of hard tissue (teeth) and soft tissue (eg. gum+cheeks). Makes sure to clean the soft tissue in your mouth to get completely clean. There are two types of mouthwashes: Cosmetic and therapeutic. Cosmetic mouthwash makes your breath smell fresh. Therapeutic mouthwashes make your breath smell fresh with the added benefits of ingredients that aim to improve the health of gums and teeth. I always use an alcohol-free therapeutic mouthwash. Alcohol in mouthwash dries your tissues and is not recommended anymore.
5.Smile – Remember to show off your pearly whites with a beautiful smile! 

之前我介紹過自己，我是一名註冊牙科衛生師。我的工作包括：洗牙，口腔衛生指導（刷牙，用牙線），拍攝X-光片及注射麻痺藥（俗稱打針）。

就讓我跟大家分享我每天護理自己的牙齒的方法，使我擁有更燦爛的笑容。

大家留意， 雖然我是一位專業牙科工作者，但我相信每個人的情況各有不同。最好諮詢自己的家庭牙醫或衛生師，找出配合自己個人所需的口腔護理方式。

1.用牙線---我每天都用牙線！用牙線非常重要，因為食物及細菌會藏在牙肉及牙縫間，牙刷刷毛是無法刷到的。食物和細菌的混合就是我們所說的牙垢。牙垢不清除就會硬化，形成牙石。牙石是不能通過刷牙或用牙線清除掉的，一定需要牙科專業人仕清除。牙石窩藏了許多細菌，能導致牙周病及口臭。
2.刷牙---牙線用於清除牙縫及牙肉下的牙垢，牙刷就可以清潔牙齒的表面。我比較喜歡選用電動牙刷。刷牙的要點是要把牙齒的每一個面都要刷乾淨，包括內，外及咀嚼面！為了避免遺漏任何地方，我會將我的口腔分成四區，左上，右上，左下及右下。我會確保我將每一區都刷好才轉到另一區。
3.刮舌器---你們知不知道我們的舌頭上有很多細小的凹坑和溝槽？當你咀嚼時，食物和細菌都會藏在這些細小的溝槽，導致我們有舌苔和口氣。舌頭正常的顏色應該是粉紅色的！我覺得用刮舌器比起用牙刷刷毛更有效。刮舌器可以在一般的藥房購買。用刮舌器後，當你吃食物時，你會發現味覺變得好很多，口氣也清新些。
4.漱口水---口腔內分別有硬組織（牙齒）及軟組織（牙肉及面頰）。我們清潔時，必須確保這兩種組織都是清潔乾淨。市面上有兩種類的漱口水：非治療性和有治療作用的。非治療性漱口水讓你的口氣清新。治療性的漱口水除了能讓口氣清新外，因為它加了治療性的藥物，可增進口腔牙齒及牙肉健康。我平時會選用無酒精成分的治療性漱口水。因為酒精會刺激口腔組織，我個人不推薦使用。5.笑容---我每天都記住展現出潔白的牙齒及燦爛的笑容。

- No. 1 Bridget,  一號謝泳思