Home Care Tips
Edward P. Laco, DDS  -  309 E. Riverside Blvd.,  Loves Park, IL 61111

Step 1 - Place bristles along the gum line at a 45 degree angle. Gently brush using a circular motion along the outer and inner tooth surfaces.
Step 2 - Brush each tooth individually. Tilt brush vertically behind the front teeth. Using the front half of the brush, use the same circular motion.
Step 3 - Place the brush against the biting surface of the teeth using a gentle back-and-forth motion. Brush the tongue to remove odor-producing bacteria.

A proper flossing method is vital to ensure the time you are spending flossing is actually cleaning your teeth. First, begin with about 18 inches of total floss; leave approximately 6 inches to floss with, and wind the remainder around one of your middle fingers.

As you begin, rather than bringing the floss down in a straight line, be sure to create a ‘C’ shape with the floss by curving it around the tooth; this ensures you are cleaning the entire surface as opposed to just the side. Gently move the floss up and down the surface of the tooth, and then reverse the C-shape to repeat the process with the adjacent tooth. Prior to moving onto the next set of teeth, unwind your clean floss from your first middle finger and transfer the dirty floss to your opposite middle finger by winding it. Repeat until all teeth have been cleaned, and be sure to use clean floss each time to avoid simply transferring bacteria and debris.

Fluoride is an important part of healthy tooth development and will help prevent cavities.

Fluoride can provide protection from tooth decay in a couple ways:
1) It helps to strengthen the tooth's enamel so it can repel the acid that is formed by plaque.
2) Teeth that have been damaged by plaque can repair and re-mineralize themselves with the help of fluoride.

Fluoride is incapable of repairing already-formed cavities, but it does assist in reversing low levels of tooth decay and helps in preventing new cavities from forming.