How to cheat for your next dental check-up

If you start to get nervous before your dental check-ups, because you have been a bad patient and skipped out on flossing as part of your daily dental routine, try these six tips before your next trip to the dentist.

Tip one, start flossing twice a day at least 2 weeks before your check-up. Vigorously flossing a couple days before your appointment does not allow enough time for the inflammation of the gums to subside. Your teeth may look a little cleaner, but the gums will still be puffy and bleed easily.

If you start flossing twice a day for 2 weeks before your next cleaning appointment you can save yourself a lecture from the dentist and hygienist.

Tip two, brush your teeth before you go to your next cleaning. Removing the loose food particles and light plaque accumulation that occurs during the day will keep you out of trouble at your cleaning and might shorten the "How to brush" instructions you get at your visit.

Tip three, you probably think you are a good brusher, but you are most likely really terrible at it. No offense. The majority of patients get the most plaque and tarter build up behind the lower front teeth and on the outsides of the upper back teeth. This is due to the activity of the salivary glands in the mouth. To do a better job at home brushing your teeth, try to brush the worst spots first. The next runner up for worst spots in the mouth is the tongue side of the bottom back teeth. If you nail these spots first, you will be looking good for your next cleaning visit.

Tip four, quit smoking. Besides all of the other negative side effects of smoking, it amplifies problems in the mouth. When the potential for gum disease exists in the mouth, the difference between a deep cleaning and a routine cleaning may be the mouths reaction to that smoke your inhaling.

Tip five, brush with a sonic tooth brush. If you want your hygienist to smile when she sees you in her dental chair, switch to a Sonic tooth brush like Philips Sonicare to remove more plaque around the gum line than manual toothbrushing. Sonic tooth brushes do a better job of removing plaque from hard to reach places between the teeth. The first place the hygienist looks to see if you have been brushing and flossing like a good patient.

Tip six, try this to stop squirming in the chair. Start brushing with a sensitivity protection toothpaste, like Sensodyne, three weeks before your cleaning. A sensitivity protection toothpaste will make your teeth less sensitive to the air and water that dentists blast at the teeth. It can also reduce sensitivity from the dental instruments.

Good luck at your next cleaning!