I brush and floss and have my teeth cleaned every 3 months, but they are becoming very stained and very built up with plaque. I am 60 years old. Do others have this problem?
124757
I think some staining is natural. If you smoke, drink coffee, or eat foods like blue berries you will have more staining.\n\nAt 60 you should be pleased that you have teeth to worry about. Lots of folks are toothless at 60.
195859
Well make sure that you floss everyday aleast once day. Brush your teeth 2 twice a day also use listerine mouth wash. Reason why you are bleedig is because you might be either brushing to hard or you might have gum disease.  Check with your dentist
657767
Joe,\nSounds like you may be looking at a more serious issue than gum recession. Periodontal disease or Periodontitis is the inflammation of the supporting tissues of the teeth. This is caused when gums are not cared for by regular brushing and flossing (you should brush 2x a day and floss 1x a day). Flossing gets bacteria out of the space between your teeth and gums, if this bacteria isn't removed it causes serious problems. As periodontal disease progresses, the gingiva (your gums) may recede, leaving portions of the roots of the teeth exposed. The process can be reversed in many patients. I suggest you find a good periodontist. They can begin treatment to restore the health of your gums and can teach you how to increase your home care effectiveness
117317
Yes, it is possible to brush your teeth too much or too hard.  It can cause the gums to become extremely sensitive and it can also wear the enamel down on your teeth.  When brushing, make sure to use a soft bristled toothbrush.  Brush 2-3 times a day for at least 2 minutes and use a circular motion or sweeping motion away from the gumline rather than brushing back and forth.  Brushing back and forth creates more force against the teeth.
347262
Hi Kelly,\n\nGums can receed for a number of reasons, firstly and most commonly is through gum disease. The plaque bacteria cause an inflammatory response in your gums which makes them recede and can also lead to bone loss around the teeth.\n\n You need to be really thorough when brushing to remove as much plaque as possible. Electric tooth brushes with a small rotary head are usually best for this as they get in all the awkward nooks and crannies. It is also just as important if not more so to use floss or little interdental brushes to clean between you teeth too as bacteria really breed in between your teeth.\n\nAnother reason for recession is actually brushing TOO hard some people rreally hammer away at them!  and this abrades away the gums, this is usually the case with manual toothbrushes, another reason why a cheap electric one (you can get Oral B Braun ones for about £12.50 at the mo in Boots) can be better as you are less likely to brush too hard with one. The idea is to step and wiggle it around each individual tooth for it to have the best effect.\n\nThe third reason can be that you gums are literally thin, some peoples are genetically in some places which means they have to be extra careful not to overbrush.\n\nShame your Dentist is dismissive, do you have a Hygienist at the practise that you can see ?, we specialised in treating Gum disease and could check to make sure that you have no tartar deposits around your teeth that could be making things worse.\n\nAsk your dentist to refer you to one, he can even refer you to one at a different practice if need be as long as he does a referal letter that you can take with you.\n\np.s forgot to mention, gum disease can be stabilised but once your gums have receeded and the bone is lost it is generally irreversible except  if it is just in a very localised area (i.e around one tooth ) when the gum can sometimes be grafted (this would generally be done by a Periodontist, who specialises in gums)\n\n\nHope this helps.
12980
Naw, for sure you brush, then floss then mouthwash. It gets rid of the big chunks of stuff, then smaller chunks, then all the other bacteria! Its the Smartest combination, plus, once you brush and floss, the mouthwash can touch all surfaces, without being hindered by plaque and cheerios that you had for breakfast
119985
Stop smoking would be the most logical explanation.\nTry also using baking soda as a toothpaste. Just add a little bit of water to the baking soda forming a thick paste and scrub away.\nI would be hesitant on doing this on a daily basis because it is very abrasive and can cause enamel wear.\n1 day a week won't kill you though\nAnd don't listen to that girl who put rinse with hydrogen peroxide....\nthat can cause you papillae on your tongue to elongate and cause 'black harry tongue' if used long term.\nHydrogen peroxide is used as a mouth rinse in very rare instances but definitely not for whitening purposes, \nBeware!! don't listen to a secretary!
4808
have your dentist give you a prescription for a sensodyne sodium tooth paste. IT WORKS i swear! you have gingivitis. Floss everyday, to toughen your gums, but floss lightly and daily. After a few weeks or less  you will see a difference. Good luck you will be fine. I know I went through this myself and I am completely fine now.
127566
Ten Top Ways to Whiten Your Teeth\n\nAnd they are all simple!\n\nBefore you try something more drastic, give these simple little tips a try. You might find that your teeth are white than you ever imagined. \n1. Avoid coffee and red wine as much as possible. Both will quickly stain your teeth.\n\n2. Raw veggies will clean your teeth so you not only have a healthy snack, you are cleaning your teeth at the same time. \n\n3. Keep an eye on your toothbrush. It can't do its job if it is worn out. It might sound obvious, but you have no idea how many people hold on to the same old brush. If you think about it, it is almost impossible to brush away film that hides your white teeth, with a brush that has worn out bristles.\n\n4. Strawberries have a natural bleaching effect and are loaded with Vitamin C, so you simply can't lose. Rub the pulp over your teeth and then rinse.\n\n5. Brushing your teeth every 12 hours is considered a rule of thumb. This will prevent plaque from forming and stains setting. \n\n6. Lemon peel massaged over the teeth is often used for whitening. Rinse thoroughly. \n\n7. Avoid smoking. This is one of the quickest ways of turning white teeth yellow.\n\n8. Floss at least once a day. Stains can easily form between teeth. \n\n9. Use whitening toothpastes that have the American Dental Association seal of approval.\n\n10. Have your teeth professionally cleaned once a year. Your teeth will feel so much cleaner. Makes you wonder about the rest of the time.
442536
It is not hard to clean at all when ever you get your teeth cleaned you can always ask the dental hygienist to show you the proper way or even when you get  you bridge put on they can show you in the office before you go just remember you cant be eating sticky stuff like candy apples this is not your tooth and you will need to be careful i mean they are real sturdy but you still need to be a little careful.
632940
X-rays and the exam itself can be pretty expensive, and they are billed seperately from the cleaning, so that may be the reason for the cost.  The amount of cleaning neccesary would depend on how "dirty" your teeth are.  There are some people whose teeth I can clean in less than five minutes, and other people who take multiple appointments.  If you take relatively good care of your teeth and are genetically lucky in that your mouth doesn't create much tartar, they may have not needed to scale ("scrape") at all.  Polishing isn't even technically neccesary.  They definitely should have flossed your teeth.  If you feel that you weren't given adequate treatment, you may want to go to another office.  It sounds like you seem a little suspicious of this one anyway.
490945
As long as you oral hygiene is good, you don't have to worry much. In the absence of certain medicines, smoking, tea, coffee, curry, etc. it is a slow process. If your concern is based on esthetics, then better start looking for affordable teeth whitening system/product to address it.
32435
brush at least 2 times and floss 5 times week at least 3 ok visit dentist every 6-8 monthes and brush for 2 min don't miss anything
128922
looks like your on the beginnings of gingivitis..lasting bad breath is one of the symptoms.  When youre brushing..actually use a tongue scraper and start as far back as you can in your mouth.  Should help, along with like Listerine..for the bactereia
478729
you can use  toothpaste with a whitener in it,   but if there are badly stained  only the dentist will be able to sort them\n good luck
86886
You should be flossing at least once a day.  It will catch up with you in the end if you do not.  You would be amazed how many people go well into adulthood with straight white teeth and no cavities and then end up losing all of their teeth due to bone loss caused by periodontal disease becaues they did not floss.  An old and very true saying is "only floss the teeth you want to keep"!
200114
It is crucial that you go back and have your peridontal maintenance done in 3 mos!I don't know the severity of your infection,but your hygienist or dentist will remeasure your periodontal pockets and chart you healing.Dental floss can only go as deep as 4mm,so even after your are first deep scaled,areas of over 4mm will exist.Basically your homecare is missing millimiters of bacteria(millions upon millions of anaerobic pathogens),so another thorough deplaqueing in needed until you readings are 0-4mm.Now I do feel that $180 is a bit high for a perio. maintenance visit,but I live in the south where our fees are less.There is a great product called Arestin,where we place antibiotic directly into any unhealed pockets.It greatly increases your chance of healing and may reduce your need for surgery later.Ask if your office does Arestin therapy.Make sure your dental provider is willing to explain your periodontal disease to you completely,I get the feeling you were not informed of the WHY you needed the 3 mos. cleaning interval.If you are not satisfied,go elsewhere or seek the help of a periodontist(gum disease specialist).80% of tooth loss today is due to gum disease not decay,so it is a serious problem!!It also affects over 80% of people over age 35.Invest in an excellent electric brush such as the Sonicare or Oral B triumph,they remove much more plaque than and manual brush.Also you may get an electric flosser such as the oral b hummingbird or reach access flosser to help you floss more efficiently.