Poor oral hygiene can lead to gingival inflammation, eventual bone loss around the mouth and possibly tooth loss. It is important to sustain good home oral hygiene in between your visits to the dentist in order to maintain a healthy mouth. A toothbrush, toothpaste and floss are the basic tools you need to keep your teeth and gums healthy long-term. Mouthrinses can also provide additional benefits.
Tooth Brushing – 2 min daily
It is suitable to brush morning and night, and flossing once a day. Knowing how to brush your teeth correctly is the first step to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste is widely recommended as part of maintaining good oral hygiene and reducing the risk of dental disease.
A soft bristled brush is recommended for tooth brushing because harder bristled brushes have the ability to damage the tooth’s enamel and cause or worsen the effects of gum recession. Brushing too hard damages gum tissue, causing the gum to recede and even damage the sides/root surface of teeth.
Below are some tips on how to effectively brush your teeth
Some people find that an electric toothbrush helps them maintain their oral hygiene routine more effectively. Electric toothbrushes may assist some people with plaque removal when used correctly. Electric toothbrushes also encourage people to brush for the whole 2 min – there’s a timer on most models. The round, small head helps the brush to reach those ‘hard to get to’ places. Electric toothbrushes may be particularly useful for some people who find manual brushing difficult.
The use of dental floss is just as important as brushing as it removes the plaque and the decaying food remaining between the teeth. This food decay and plaque cause irritation to the gums, allowing the gum tissue to bleed more easily. Acid forming foods left on teeth also demineralise tooth eventually causing cavities. As toothbrushes don’t have the ability to brush between the teeth, it is important to floss once a day to remove these deposits your toothbrush is unable to reach.
Tongue Cleaning – daily
It’s a great habit to get in to everyday. You can use your toothbrush to clean your tongue, but it’s suitable to use a proper tongue cleaner – we can show you what they look like. Tongues do harbour bacteria and this bacteria often produce a volatile sulphur compound. This often causes bad breath or halitosis. When scraping your tongue, it’s appropriate to try to reach the back part of your tongue, where most of the bacteria tends to collect. This may be difficult, especially if you have a strong gag reflex.
There are many different types of mouthrinses on the market today and they vary in effectiveness. Most people do not need to use one, but if you like the feel after using a rinse then try to buy an alcohol free one with fluoride . If we feel you would benefit from using a particular rinse, we will suggest it to you at your appointment and advise you of the suitable place to buy it.