Dental Hygiene

We are big advocates for preventative dentistry. By practicing a healthy oral hygiene routine at home, you can look after your natural teeth for longer.

Oral Hygiene Routine

The key is to be consistent and proactive at home to help reduce the build up of bacteria in your mouths (in between dental visits). We recommend:

• Brush your teeth at least twice a day (2 minutes each time)
  • Using a fluoride tooth paste is recommended as it helps in the battler against tooth decay – for children’s teeth, please carefully check the packaging as too much fluoride can lead to fluorosis (ask us for advice if your unsure)
  • Don’t forget the tongue – bacteria loves to grow here and bad breath will develop
• Floss at least once a day (or use interdental brushes to clean those difficult to reach places)
• Use a mouth wash every day (ask us for advice on the best ones to use for you)

Keeping on top of your oral health while at home can help reduce your future dental bills, as your mouth, teeth and gums will be healthier which will lower the chances of dental complications from developing.

Professional Dental Hygiene Appointments

As well as following a strict oral hygiene routine at home it is important to come in for a professional clean at least every 6 months (unless otherwise advised). Even with effective cleaning at home you may be missing bits in your mouth which does allow the bacteria to grow. This leads to plaque and then tartar. At this point you will need a professional clean to tackle this tough build up to achieve dental health again.

Why Do You Need To Remove Plaque/Tartar?

These substances are bad news for our mouths. They will actively attack and irritate your gums, mouth and teeth as a whole, which can lead to a whole host of problems. For example;

• Cavities appear in your teeth (holes)
• Bacteria enters the tooth causing pain or sensitivity
• You need root canal treatment to remove the bacteria from the tooth (with a root filling to stop further bacteria from entering)
• If we cannot save the tooth, then it will need to be extracted (removed)
• This will leave a gap in your mouth and you will need to consider your options to replace the missing teeth

Bacteria can lead to a chain of events which leads to tooth loss (and this can cause additional tooth loss due to bone resorption). This will not only have a detrimental affect to your dental health but it will also have an impact financially as well (as each stage has an associated cost). It will always be best in the long run for effective oral hygiene routine every day and to come in for your professional clean to.

Please do not hesitate to call us and book your next hygiene appointment today.