Dental Hygiene Tips – Practicing Preventive Dental
Part 3 of our preventive dentistry series: We delve into dental hygiene tips when it comes to the health of your smile
During the past few months we have been speaking about the importance of preventative dentistry. Discussing what makes up a good daily routine and what you should expect from a dental check-up. You can find these blogs here.
Over part three of the series we will we be concluding our discussion on preventative dentistry, and provide you with dental hygiene tips when it comes to your oral health.
PART THREE DENTAL HYGIENE TIPS – THE 10 DOS AND DON’TS FOR MAINTAINING GOOD ORAL HEALTH.
For most of us our oral health is often an afterthought. Sure if you were suffering from a bad case of the flu, suffering from a fever or were experiencing chest pains you would make your way straight to the doctor’s office. For a lot of us we often avoid the dentist even if we are suffering from any form of pain or discomfort, and this is where we are going wrong. Oral health issues can often play a large role in the appearance of other health issues, affecting speech, nutrition and oral function. This makes it vital to stay on top of our oral health.
THE DOS
1. BRUSH REGULARLY
Any daily hygiene should include regular brushing, we recommend twice a day. The best times for brushing are when you wake up in the morning and just before you go to bed at night. Brushing when you first get up is imperative to get saliva flowing and removing any bacteria which has built up over the course of the night. Brushing in the evening helps to remove the build-up of food debris and bacteria which has accumulated across the day.
2. Clean your whole mouth
Cleaning and brushing shouldn’t be limited to your teeth; good oral health requires you to clean your entire mouth. Your tongue, cheeks, throat and gums are exposed to the same bacteria and food as your teeth and are just as important when maintaining a healthy mouth. You are able to free the rest of your mouth of bacteria with the use of an anti-bacterial mouthwash.
3. Floss
Food and bacteria often become trapped between your teeth, leading to potential issues such as tooth decay. The use of dental floss dislodges this debris, preventing the growth of bacteria and plaque build-up.
4. Pay attention to signs of a problem
The root of severe dental problems is often patients ignoring the early signs of severe dental issues. In the majority of cases more complex treatments can be avoided with early detection and action. At the first sign of a problem it’s recommended you get in contact with your dentist to discuss the issues and have them inspect your teeth. Through keeping an eye out for potential issues and attending regular check-ups, issues can be attended to right away.
5. Attend regular check-ups
Through attending regular check-ups at least once every six months, your dentist will be able to identify any potential problems and come up with a plan to rectify any future issues. During your regular dental checkup, your dentist will also clean and scale your teeth, decreasing the chance of future infection and more complicated issues.
The Don’ts
1. Consumption of sticky and sugary foods
Sugar acts as a food supply for bacteria within the mouth, allowing the bacteria to multiply and rot your teeth. Eating sugary foods to excess without correct cleaning practices can lead to serious dental issues. Much the same, sticky foods can trap bacteria to the surface of the tooth allowing them to multiply.
2. Avoid acidic foods and drinks
Acid found in foods and beverages can often lead to the erosion of tooth enamel, this weakens teeth making them more prone to breakage and rot. High consumption of highly acidic foods can also have an effect on tooth sensitivity and discolouration. For this reason it is recommended that following the consumption of such foods and beverages, you clean your mouth out with water and avoid brushing for at least 30 minutes. During this period of time tooth enamel will begin to re-mineralise and protect the teeth.
3. Avoid the dentist
Don’t avoid seeing your dentist, your oral health is important to maintaining a healthy smile. Avoiding the dentist is only going to do you harm- you should be seeing a dentist at least once every six months, ensuring you stay on top of your health care needs and avoid any potential issues further down the track.
4. Wait until pain starts to set in before you visit the dentist
By the time you start to feel the ill effects of dental problems it is often too late. If you have identified that you may have a dental issue it is best to get in contact with your dentist and get it checked out. Issues such as isolated or general tooth pain and swelling or inflammation of the gums can lead to complications requiring serious dental treatment.
5. Smoking
It is known that smoking can cause a range of health issues which should be reason enough to avoid smoking. Smoking can lead to discolouration and bad breath, as well as affect the overall health of your gums. This often leads to the appearance of tooth decay and gingivitis.
In sticking to these dos and don’ts it will go a long way in ensuring the long term health of your smile. Prevention is always much easier than finding a cure.
Read more here if you would like to learn more about the importance of preventive dentistry or what we can offer .
