southviewdc
Oral hygiene is really important – as well as helping to keep your teeth looking their best and keeping your breath fresh, good oral hygiene can also help to keep your mouth healthy and prevent a wide variety of health problems. To help you maintain good oral hygiene and health, we’ve put together some of our top tips:
To maintain good oral hygiene, brushing your teeth is essential. You should always be sure to brush your teeth last thing at night and at least once during the day, using a fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride helps to strengthen your tooth enamel, making your teeth more resistant to decay. As well as brushing your teeth, it’s also recommended that you clean in between your teeth on a daily basis, using an interdental brush or floss to flush out trapped food and plaque.
It’s important to use a fluoride mouthwash, however, whilst many people do this immediately after cleaning their teeth, it’s recommended to wait a while so as not to rinse away the fluoride from the toothpaste.
It’s important to change your toothbrush at least every two or three months, or sooner if necessary. As your toothbrush starts to get worn, it will not clean your teeth effectively, so it will be harder to maintain good oral hygiene.
At Southview Dental Care, we recommend regular dental examinations to that we can make sure your teeth are in good condition and spot any potential problems early on so that we can prevent the need for complicated treatments in the future. We also look at your oral health and hygiene and screen for signs of mouth cancer and other illnesses.
As we are very focused on preventative dentistry, we also recommend that you routinely visit our highly qualified hygienist to help you look after your teeth and gums and provide you with guidance to best care for them yourself. By visiting a hygienist, this can help to prevent common problems such as tooth loss, decay and gum disease.
What you eat and drink can have a big impact on your oral health and hygiene. Eating a diet that’s rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, vitamins and minerals can go a long way towards preventing gum disease. You should also try to avoid too many sweets and sugary, acidic drinks as they can wear away the enamel of your teeth and make them more susceptible to decay. Snacking can also have a negative effect, as this increases the time that your teeth come under attack; by keeping eating to meal times, this limits the exposure of your teeth to potentially damaging foods.
We also recommend that you try to wait an hour after eating or drinking anything before brushing your teeth. This is because the enamel is softened immediately after eating, so brushing your teeth could lead to you brushing away tiny particles of enamel.
For more advice in maintaining good oral hygiene, you can call Southview Dental Care today on 01732 865021 to arrange for a dental check-up.
