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Plaque to Business with Dr. Gibbz
Dr. Younan, popularly known by his alias Dr. Gibbz, is dedicated to making dental health accessible and fun through his educational videos on YouTube, Tik Tok, and Instagram. Through his noteworthy efforts, Dr. Younan was awarded Public Health Dentist of the Year in 2019 and the Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2021.
AutoBrush had the privilege to ask Dr. Gibbz burning dental questions we get asked most often. Today we’re sharing the real scoop on what the coolest dentist has to say about proper brushing technique, how to establish the BEST habits, and his thoughts on the AutoBrush Pro.
How important is establishing proper brushing habits at a young age?
It is just as important as learning how to walk. When you develop proper oral hygiene habits at a young age, you are more likely to carry them throughout adulthood. You only get one set of adult teeth.
The power of a smile goes a long way. Missing teeth as a child can affect your speech development, can cause you to get bullied at school creating psychological issues down the road, and can affect your diet and the foods you can eat as a child which can slow or affect your growth.
As an adult, it gets worse. You may struggle to find employment and be stuck in a socioeconomic status that you do not want to be in. The list goes on and on. This is why oral hygiene habits as a child are just as important as learning how to walk.
Does dental hygiene affect overall health?
YES, YES, YES! Your mouth is connected to the rest of your body (if that wasn't obvious already!) It is the start of your digestive tract. Meaning, this is where food first enters the body.
Food = nutrients = sustaining life and proper function of the body.
Also, bacteria in the mouth can get into the bloodstream and travel to the heart, brain, lungs —you get the picture. Bacteria do not belong in these places and if they get there, you can find yourself struggling to stay alive in a hospital bed.
Most people don't see the connection between oral health and systemic health. If you are diabetic, you can make the diabetes worse by affecting how well your insulin works. The bacteria in your mouth creates an inflammatory response within your body and your body is now in attack mode to fight off these bacteria.
Now imagine if you never go to the dentist and have periodontal disease. All those years your body is in attack mode, resulting in long term effects. Your immune system begins to affect your uptake of glucose which means you need more insulin. More insulin medication. More pills. More shots. You see where I am going with this? Taking care of your oral health will help your body respond better to the medications you're taking and may help you reduce the medication dosage or possibly stop taking the medication altogether.
Also with pregnancy, it is an issue. Mothers are so caught up taking care of the unborn child that they neglect to take care of themselves. With pregnancy, your hormones are through the roof. This has an effect on your gums, causing them to puff up. This can create spaces between your teeth where food and bacteria like to get stuck, resulting in the gums bleeding and you can develop periodontal disease. The bacteria can also get to your baby, causing preterm birth. You can help prevent this by taking care of your oral health and realizing its connection to your overall health.
Is flossing really that important?
I would be richer than Elon Musk if I got a nickel every time someone asked me this.
YES, it is as equally important as brushing. First you are supposed to floss your teeth, then rinse, then brush. The reason being is the floss physically gets in between the teeth to pop out the trapped food and bacteria. Your toothbrush cannot do this. Also, a WaterPik is not a substitute for flossing, so you can save that question. You use the Waterpik as a supplement to flossing. I like to use Plackers Floss Picks or AutoBrush Charcoal Flossers.
After you floss and rinse, you can see all the nasty stuff in the sink. Now while you brush, your toothbrush bristles can get in between the teeth better to clean all surfaces. After you brush, you spit out the toothpaste, but DO NOT RINSE! Yes, you read that correctly. Just spit out the excess and leave the rest there. NOTE: flossing and brushing is most important right before you go to sleep.
To summarize and answer your questions, I'll ask you a question. Brushing but not flossing is like wiping your butt cheek but not wiping the crack. Is it clean? Does it smell? Hopefully you get the picture.
Is flossing 3 times a week enough?
NOPE!!! You should floss at least once a day and preferably right before you go to bed. Read above for more detail.
What is something you are excited about that's happening in the dental industry?
Mainstreaming oral health. People are starting to be more self conscious about their smile and want to take control. Sadly, they want to whiten their teeth to make them look nice, but don't care about the cavities they have. You may have nice bright white teeth but not for long!
You will either lose a tooth as a result of neglect or you will soon see that your teeth are becoming sensitive and you don't know why. Most often people then stop using their whitening treatment to try to get their teeth back to normal only to find them worse off.
GO SEE YOUR DENTIST! (Then you can whiten if they recommend it as a good option for you.)
What is your #1 piece of advice for improving one’s dental hygiene?
Floss and brush the teeth you want to keep. Dental treatment is cheap, neglect is expensive. You can prevent dental issues from occurring by having routine dental exams and cleanings, which most dental insurances cover and are little to no cost to the patient.
However, when you neglect to visit your dentist regularly, you help create more problems. Complex dental work may not be covered by your insurance, becoming expensive to repair and makes your options limited. Prevention is key here!
What were your initial impressions of the AutoBrush Pro?
I love it for kids, elderly, and the disabled population. For all of these groups, you can make something that is challenging (proper brushing technique and doing it for 2 minutes) and make it fun and easy. Kids are more willing to brush with the AutoBrush than a regular electric or manual toothbrush. More frequency in brushing means less bacteria and that typically results in less oral health issues.
Parents, do you struggle to get your child to brush their teeth? You know exactly what I mean then. If there is something that your kids loved and used all the time to brush their teeth, wouldn't it make life so much easier? Wouldn't it take the pressure off of you because your dentist thinks you aren't trying to brush little Johnny's teeth? You are trying, but it is hard. This is why I like AutoBrush. It makes it easy and kids are more inclined to do it. Also, it's great for disabled individuals who struggle to hold a toothbrush and for caregivers who brush someone else's teeth in the geriatric population.
Do you think the AutoBrush cleans as well or better than a manual toothbrush?
It is not there yet, but it is getting very close to. With the amount of tests and trials that AutoBrush is doing, I would not expect it to take long before it exceeds the traditional toothbrush. Again, with the above populations that I described, AutoBrush is amazing because it increases compliance and frequency with brushing. They are more likely to brush with AutoBrush because it is fun and easy to do versus a traditional toothbrush. This is a no brainer for me. Brushing with AutoBrush because it's more convenient or not brushing at all. What do you think is better?
About Dr. Gibbz
Dr. Younan completed his undergraduate studies at CSU Fresno and went on to A.T. Still University in Arizona, where he earned his D.M.D and MPH Degrees. Dr. Younan combined his passion for giving back to those in need and his passion for entertainment to form a 501c3 non profit organization called Entertainment Healers. As part of his non profit work, he also goes by the alias Dr. Gibbz. With this Dr. Gibbz persona, he creates dental education videos using popular songs and changing the lyrics to provide oral health information. Dr, Younan has a goal to make health a "popular" thing. As the saying goes,” Health is Wealth.”
Want to hear more from Dr. Gibbz? Be sure to check out his socials below.
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