Brush, Floss and ?
歯磨き、フロス、そして？
I love it when my patients bring in their children for me to treat. It makes me happy that they trust the health of their little ones to me. I always make sure their first trip to my office is a fun one and I get to show them my “toys”. The “rocket chair”, the “sunglasses” and my “super toothbrush”. As I’m showing my littlest patients these things, I also take the opportunity to talk to their parents about how to take care of little teeth.
When I was young, I would hear the same thing every night from my parents as I did from my dentist. “Brush and Floss…brush and floss!” Those were the only words to that song.
Now, when I have young parents in my office, I will tell them to sing a new song. “Brush, floss and RINSE!” (It’s actually not a song but if you repeat it so many times as I have, you start to imagine it as a song in your mind!)
The rinse I’m talking about is not a water rinse after you brush your teeth to get rid of the toothpaste, it’s a mouth rinse that contains fluoride. Fluoride is a natural mineral that can keep teeth strong and help prevent cavities. Cavities are usually caused by acids released by bacteria in our mouths. When a tooth’s surface is weakened by decay, fluoride can be added into the weakened tooth surface to rebuild the top layer of the tooth. Even more amazingly, the new tooth material created by this rebuilding process is even stronger than the original!
New York City tap water has the best level of fluoride already added. But what about people who don’t drink enough tap water or those who only drink bottled water? The majority of bottled waters do not contain optimal levels of fluoride. And, some types of home water filters can reduce the fluoride levels. If you drink from a home filter, check with the company if it filters out fluoride from your tap water.
The use of fluoride mouth rinses is not recommended for kids six and
younger because they may swallow the rinse. The kid’s rinses often have a bubble gum or berry flavor to make it better
tasting.
So every night around 8pm, I hope to be hearing the soft chanting of parents all around the neighborhood…
“Brush, floss, rinse…. brush, floss, rinse… brush, floss, rinse…”
Music to my ears as the next generation of dental patients come in with healthier teeth!（次回は４月第２週号掲載）
〈Keyword〉fluoride フッ化物 acids 酸 rinse 風味
〈プロフィル〉Dr. Clara Lee ニューヨーク大学歯学部卒業。ニューヨーク大学ブルックデール病院でチーフレジデンス修了。13年以上に及ぶ臨床経験は一般歯科、コスメティック、インプラントを含む。インビザライン認定医。Waterside Dental Care院長として古山医師と共に、多くの日本人患者さんを治療。Dentistryをこよなく愛している。記事提供：Waterside dental Care（Tel：212-683-6260）
