Category Archives: Flossing

When Your Breath Is Hot like Fire | Boca Raton Dentist

Bad Breath, Flossing, General Dentistry, Oral Health, Oral Hygiene, Tooth Decay, , , , , , , , ,


A woman with dark hair and blue eyes smiling.

No one wants or likes to hear they have bad breath, but it’s worse not to know it. There can be many factors to your bad breath, and all are treatable. While poor dental hygiene accounts for most cases of halitosis, bad breath can sometimes signal another underlying medical condition. If you are experiencing bad breath start with a visit to your dentist. If you are only suffering from bad breath from either an internal or oral problem, fortunately this problem is often easy to fix.

Studies show that about 80% of bad breath comes from an oral source. For instance, cavities or gum disease can lead to bad breath; tonsils that have trapped food particles, cracked fillings, and less-than-clean dentures. Good oral hygiene, regular visits to your dentist, and ruling out any underlying conditions or other factors that could make your breath less than pleasant (e.g. medications or diet).

When the enamel on your teeth erodes, food particles can get deposited in those holes, called dental caries. Because brushing your teeth can’t remove these food deposits, they can eventually grow bacteria, producing a bad smell. Gingivitis is another medical condition that may cause bad breath. When the gum becomes inflamed with bacteria, it can result in severe pain and foul smelling discharge.

So what do you do to prevent bad breath from happening? Maintaining good oral hygiene is important in keeping bad breath away. Make sure you keep up your oral hygiene routine by brushing your teeth at least twice a day for a minimum of two minutes, a thorough flossing session, and a quick rinse with some mouthwash to seal in the cleanliness and fresh breath!

In between your oral routine it is important to keep one thing in mind: Saliva is our first line of defense against bad breath! And what causes us to create this magical dental friend? Chewing. Every meal you eat, every snack you nosh on, every piece of bubble gum you chew is all helping to create the saliva that fights against germs and bad breath. But keep in mind, it takes 20 minutes for sugar to be cleared from your mouth after its consumption. The more often you are chewing on something sugary, the more often you are exposing your teeth to more bacteria, so try to keep these munching spurts less sugary and more healthy. Sugar-free gum & candy is great, but so is a handy bottle of water. Keeping a nice balance will not only get those salivary glands working, but will also help out the cause when you don’t have a toothbrush handy.

There are some conditions that will, in fact, prevent a healthy amount of saliva in our mouths. Certain medications or diseases can also affect the way your body produces saliva. Dry mouth, or xerostomia, is more likely to develop conditions like rapid tooth decay, gum disease, cavities or even bad breath. This may be able to be cured naturally by drinking lots of water and chewing on sugar-free gum or candy, but more than likely, you should have a medical professional give you their opinion as it could be preventable.

A quick breath check can save you from more than just an awkward social situation — it could tell you if you have an underlying dental problem.

If you feel bad breath has become an issue, contact Dr. Rosenbuch at (561) 394-7888 or visit our website at www.cliverosenbuschdds.com.

Dr. Rosenbusch proudly serves Boca Raton, Del Rey Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs, Boynton, Ft. Lauderdale and all surrounding areas.

What’s the Deal with Flossing? | Boca Raton Dentist

Flossing, General Dentistry, Halloween Candy, Oral Health, Oral Hygiene, , ,


If there is any part of the daily dental routine we drag our feet about, it has to be flossing. Not sure what it is, but there is something about this particular action that makes us cringe with dread. The excuse varies from patient to patient – some find it difficult, others simply don’t think they have time, and still others don’t understand the purpose and importance of flossing. While brushing your teeth regularly is necessary to prevent tooth decay, flossing is just as important. Sad to say but, brushing alone, without flossing, will not prevent either tooth decay or periodontal disease.

One of the main risks to oral health is damage from bacteria that damage tooth and gum tissue, resulting in tooth decay and periodontal disease. This bacteria takes the form of plaque (a thin yellow film composed primarily of bacteria and water), which will harden into tartar if not removed. The presence of plaque and tartar is virtually always damaging to teeth because it produces certain acids that will eat through tooth enamel and hardened tartar deposits that will physically irritate gum tissue, leading to gum recession.

The primary purpose of flossing is to remove plaque and tartar from surfaces of the teeth that cannot be reached by brushing alone. Because brushing alone cannot reach between teeth, flossing can help physically scrape plaque from teeth before it’s allowed to harden into tartar. Once plaque hardens into tartar, it needs to be removed with professional cleaning. No matter how much you brush going forward, brushing and flossing alone will be unable to remove the calcified deposits from teeth.

Patients who rarely floss will likely notice that their gums are irritated and bleed when flossing. This is nature’s way of telling you to have a professional cleaning. Over time, regular flossing will remove the bacteria that causes inflammation and bleeding, allowing the patient’s gums to heal. It is important, though, to use antibacterial mouthwash in conjunction with flossing to help kill any bacteria that remain in the mouth after flossing.

Brushing and mouthwash can help kill most of the bacteria in your mouth, but flossing is truly necessary to remove plaque from between teeth to keep your gums healthy. If you’re unsure of the right way to floss, ask your dentist or oral hygienist to show you a proper flossing technique. It will not only keep your mouth healthy, but it will also keep you out of the dentist chair, awaiting a terrible procedure.

For more information on proper flossing technique, contact Dr. Rosenbuch at (561) 394-7888 or visit our website at www.cliverosenbuschdds.com.

Dr. Rosenbusch proudly serves Boca Raton, Del Rey Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs, Boynton, Ft. Lauderdale and all surrounding areas.

FLOSSING | BOCA RATON DENTIST

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A woman with white teeth and pink lips.Dentists routinely remind people to floss regularly – many patients have no problem brushing their teeth twice a day, but many seem to have a harder time flossing. The excuse varies from patient to patient – some find it difficult, others simply don’t think they have time, and still others don’t understand the purpose and importance of flossing. While brushing your teeth regularly is necessary to prevent tooth decay, flossing is just as important: brushing alone, without flossing, will not prevent either tooth decay or periodontal disease.

One of the main risks to oral health is damage from bacteria – the bacteria within the mouth produces acids that damage the tooth and gum tissue, resulting in tooth decay and periodontal disease. Within the mouth, this bacteria takes the form of plaque – a thin yellow film composed primarily of bacteria and water – which will harden into tartar if not removed. The presence of plaque and tartar is virtually always damaging to teeth – it will produce acids that will eat through tooth enamel, and hardened tartar deposits will physically irritate gum tissue, leading to gum recession.

The primary purpose of flossing is to remove plaque and tartar from surfaces of the teeth that can not be reached by brushing alone. In particular, while brushing is great at cleaning the lingual (tongue-facing), facial (cheek-facing), and occlusal (biting) surfaces, it’s relatively poor at cleaning the proximal surfaces – those between teeth. Because brushing alone can not reach between teeth, flossing can help physically scrape plaque from teeth before it’s allowed to harden into tartar. Patients that skip flossing risk allowing tartar to form between teeth – once plaque hardens into tartar, it needs to be removed with professional cleaning, as brushing and flossing alone will be unable to remove the calcified deposits from teeth.

Patients who rarely floss will likely notice that their gums are irritated and bleed when flossing – this is usually an indication that they should have a professional cleaning, and floss more often to help remove existing bacteria. Over time, regular flossing will remove the bacteria that causes inflammation and bleeding, allowing the patient’s gums to heal, and the bleeding will subside. It is important, though, to use antibacterial mouthwash in conjunction with flossing to help kill any bacteria that remain in the mouth after flossing.

Brushing and mouthwash can help kill much of the bacteria within the mouth, but flossing is truly necessary to remove plaque from between teeth. If you’re unsure of the right way to floss, ask your dentist or oral hygienist to show you how – proper flossing technique will save you time, and make you more likely to floss daily.

For more information on oral health contact Dr. Rosenbuch at (561) 394-7888 or visit our website at https://cliverosenbuschdds.com/