A lot of our patients think that the hard part is visiting the dentist but really, the toughest part of oral hygiene routine is what you do at home to look after your teeth in between dental visits.
In this blog, we’re going to go through some dental commandments that we live by if you want to have a happy and healthy mouth! Remember, your teeth are important but don’t forget your gums, tongue and roof of your mouth are just as important.
Read about Oral Hygiene routine for children here.
You probably didn’t know this, but there is technique involved when brushing your teeth correctly. You need to place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums which means the bristles are on both gum and teeth. Brush your teeth back and forth, up and down in short strokes. Lots of people forget to brush on the inner surfaces of their teeth so repeat this process for outer and inner! Next step, brush that tongue and the roof of your mouth!
We always get lots of complaints about bad breath and can’t recommend enough how important it is to get rid of the bacteria on your tongue which leads to bad breath. They even have super cool toothbrushes out there that have a tongue scraper on the reverse side of the bristles. Be gentle when brushing and brush once in the morning and once in the evening for a minimum of two minutes each time.
We admit it too, sometimes we’re just too tired to add this to our daily routine after brushing but once you realise just how much germs are still in between your teeth after brushing, it’ll freak you out. Do you really want food particles from last week still stuck in your mouth? This is a contributing factor to bad breath too.
Enough said, we’ve converted and vow to floss even on our death bed when we have one tooth left. How to floss? Now when using floss, we suggest using a fresh piece of floss every two to three teeth so that you’r not using one that has bacteria and spreading it from tooth to tooth. Floss in a back and forth motion and flossing once a day at night is ideal. Don’t forget flossing regularly decreases tartar build up and gum disease.
Adding this to your oral health routine will reap in benefits. Mouthwash goes where no toothbrush or floss dare goes. It gets rid of bacteria on the gum line that’s causes gingivitis. It also keeps your teeth safe from plaque and cavities! We’re in!
We hate to mention the ‘D’ word, but we have to go there. What you put into your body really does affect your teeth. Limit sugary foods and soft drinks because this turns into acid inside your mouth and attacks tooth enamel which eventually turns into cavities! Acidic foods also attack the teeth and cause tooth discolouration, sensitivity and cracks.
So you'r probably asking yourself exactly which foods and drinks are the ones to blame? Things to avoid are tobacco, coffee, soft drinks, cordial, wine, sport drinks and fruit juices to name a few. We know it’s boring but drinking water hydrates the body and helps build tooth enamel.
Last but not least, visit Dentist in Melbourne at Gorgeous Smiles every six months for your check up and clean. This will just increase your oral health and prevent any further problems. Prevention is the key to a happy healthy mouth. Your dentist can fix the problem, but it really comes down to you doing the hard work in between visits which will help over the long run.
