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Home Care

Dr. Gibree strongly recommends the use of an electric toothbrush for homecare. Although he recommends the Braun Oral-B 3D Excel, the Sonicare, and the Rotadent, the one that seems the easiest to use is the Oral-B 3D Excel. Proper home care after any dental treatment is necessary to maintain the results we have worked hard to accomplish and is as important as the treatment. Without proper home care the likelihood of recurring dental problems rises exponentially.

Flossing, while not most people's favorite thing to do, is necessary for proper home care. The bacteria that causes gum disease does not like oxygen. By flossing you are bringing oxygen down to the bacteria between your teeth and helping to kill those nasty bugs. You should be flossing at least once a day, preferably twice. Dr. Gibree recommends Johnson & Johnson Dentotape because it is wider and covers a greater area when used.

Your gums will be sore when you start flossing because of the local areas of inflamed tissue. After a couple weeks of regular use you will notice that the gum tissue will heal and become less tender. Bleeding, which may be apparent at the start of a flossing regime, will become minimal or disappear entirely.

All periodontal patients can also benefit from the use of other home care options such as the Hydrofloss. Hydrofloss is an oral irrigator that treats the water used for irrigation magnetically and has been shown to dramatically reduce the accumulation of plaque and tartar. Used after conventional brushing and flossing, the Hydrofloss pulls any remaining plaque, tartar and bacterial debris off the teeth.

Electric vs Manual Toothbrushing

In research study after research study, an electric toothbrush was significantly more effective than manual brushing. Dr. Gibree strongly recommends an electric toothbrush based on his own personal research into which method is best.

From clinical research studies:

"The powered brush was significantly more efficient in removing plaque and improving gingival health than the manual brush in the group of subjects unfamiliar with electric brushes. There was also a significant learning effect that was more pronounced with the electric toothbrush."

"Scientific research indicates that after proper oral hygiene instruction these toothbrushes can be more effective than a manual toothbrush. "

"Electric toothbrushes are more effective in plaque removal than manual brushing in closely supervised trials. "
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