Caring for your teeth, gums, and mouth is a team effort at Pasadena Smile Center. As part of our service to our patients, we help them with every aspect of home care, and educate them on how to properly brush and floss the teeth. The wrong type of toothbrush or brushing technique can do more damage than good.

Your home care treatment plan could include the use of special rinses to help ward off gum disease. Every patient is different, and we develop a customized home care plan that suits the individual. Working together, we can save you from costly dental treatments in the future. As holistic dentists in Pasadena, our goal is to help our patients maintain good oral health so they preserve their teeth and gums from the onset of cavities or gum diseases.

Correct Way to Brush Teeth

It starts with the right toothbrush. Choosing a brush that has a small enough head to reach the hard-to-clean areas is important. Soft bristles are safer for your teeth, as well as being more comfortable. Hard or medium toothbrushes can even damage your teeth and gums -- so choose soft. A healthy brushing should take about two minutes in total.

As a general overview, follow this basic procedure for brushing:

Brush your teeth by holding the brush at a 45% angle. Step one is brushing the outer surfaces of your upper teeth, and then your bottom teeth.
Brush the inner surfaces of the top and bottom teeth.
Brush the chewing surfaces.
Gently brush your tongue.
Thoroughly rinse all toothpaste from your mouth.
If you have been prescribed a specific mouthwash, use it, and carefully follow the directions on the bottle.

Correct Way to Floss Your Teeth

Flossing is a way to remove the tiny particles of food that have become lodged between your teeth, potentially leading to decay. Your teeth are unique, and the spaces between them can vary from extremely tight, to slight gaps. Ideally, a person will floss their teeth after every meal, but at least once a day as a minimum. The procedure is performed by doing the following:

Take about 18 inches of dental floss. Wind the majority of it around the middle fingers on each hand. This allows you to shift it and use a fresh surface as you move through your teeth for better results.
Hold a small section of the floss in each hand (thumb and forefinger).
Guide the floss between teeth and gums, pressing it against the tooth surface on either side, rubbing it gently up and down on the surface. Be careful not to snap the floss into your gums. Follow the curve of your tooth at the gum line, and slide it into that space to remove any debris.
Don’t forget to floss the back side of your molars at the back.

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Practice Policy Update Regarding COVID-19

May 2020

Dear Valued Patient:

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

All patients must wear a mask when entering the office.

Anyone accompanying you will be asked to wait in their vehicle.

Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.

Upon arrival at your appointment your temperature will be taken for the safety of all staff and patients.

Prior to receiving treatment you will be asked to rinse with an antimicrobial for a minimum of 30 seconds

We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.

You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

UV Air purifiers have been placed throughout the office.

Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.

We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time, so we ask that you do your best to be on time.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (626)798-7834 or visit our website at pasadenasmilecenter@yahoo.com.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely, Niloufar Molayem, D.D.S. & Team

Home Care

Correct Way to Brush Teeth

Correct Way to Floss Your Teeth

Practice Policy Update Regarding COVID-19