Mistakes you could be making with your oral health

When it comes to your oral health there are common mistakes that people make that most of us just wouldn’t know about. There are plenty of hygiene tips to follow but how do we know what’s right and what’s wrong? Here are some tips on how to improve, and help with, your oral health.

Brushing

Whether you use an electric or manual toothbrush there are different techniques depending on what you use. Our clinicians can show you the best way for you and your toothbrush on how to get the most efficient way of brushing. Ensure you keep your brush on a 45 degrees angle pointing towards the gum line to remove the plaque and food.

• Apply toothpaste onto the toothbrush and don’t rinse, this can remove part of the fluoride.
• Don’t rinse straight after brushing your teeth, it will remove the concentrated fluoride on your teeth.

Do not use a mouthwash straight after brushing, again this removes the fluoride, if you want to use a mouthwash use it 1 hour after brushing.

Toothpaste

There are so many different toothpastes, when you go to the supermarket it can be overwhelming on what to choose. The best toothpaste for a healthy mouth is to check that the toothpaste has fluoride in it.

Fluoride infiltrates the enamel’s surface and reaches areas that brushing can’t.

Snacking

Frequent snacking can raise a higher chance of cavities, an occasional treat is fine but the more frequent you eat snacks, the less chance your teeth get of being at the right PH balance. You should stick to 5 acid attacks a day, this includes meal times and drinks. This will allow your teeth to neutralise and decrease your chance of decay.

Things you can eat and drink outside of the acid attacks are:

Water

Milk

Nuts

Cheese

Vegetables

Dental visits

Seeing the dentist only when you have a problem or pain with your tooth is not sufficient or ever advised. It is very important for regular routine check ups with your dentist so they can check your teeth, gums and surrounding areas. The dentist will ask to see you again on your routine visit depending on the person. The dentist will detect any decays or issues and treat them for you. They can also detect mouth cancers and give you advice on how to keep healthy.

Hygiene visits

We would recommend seeing the hygienist in between the visits to keep your mouth healthy and clean. We have hygiene therapists at our clinic who can see you for your appointment to remove the plaque and calculus, especially in the hard to reach areas that you may be missing. They will also show you techniques such as tooth brushing and what to use for interdental cleaning. Interdental picks, tepe brushes or floss are all options; depending on the spacing of your teeth the therapist will size you up for these to ensure you’re brushing and flossing to remove as much plaque as possible. This way you can keep your teeth and gums healthy!

Contact the clinic and we can book your dental hygiene appointment in, or just provide you with advice:

Contact – Kingswood Parks Dental (kingswoodparksclinics.co.uk)