UK dental health charity the Oral Health Foundation has compiled a list of five top tips to help us take steps towards a healthier and happier mouth. Evesham dentist Richard Colebourne from Evesham Dental Health Team is helping spread the message to ensure we all enjoy better dental health and improved general wellbeing.
1. Get ‘in-ter’ interdental brushing
Cleaning in between our teeth, using interdental brushes, dental floss, water or air flossers, loosens bacteria and food debris. This allows brushing to be much more successful at removing plaque. Those of us who interdentally clean before brushing are left with a much cleaner mouth than those who do so afterwards. A study by the Oral Health Foundation found that a quarter of us admit to lying to our dentist about our flossing habits!
2. Be a top brusher
Brushing for two minutes last thing at night and on waking before breakfast with fluoride toothpaste is key to maintaining good oral health. Daily brushing is important because it removes plaque. If plaque isn’t removed, it continues to build up, feeding on the bits of food left behind and causing tooth decay and gum disease.
3. Spit it out – but don’t rinse!
After brushing, we should spit out the toothpaste. Don’t be tempted to rinse because this washes away the fluoride, which continues to help protect the teeth.
4. Don’t be a dummy with diet
Diet can play a big part in our oral health. Eating sugary foods and drinking fizzy drinks both damage our teeth and leave them vulnerable to decay and erosion. Avoid snacking as this leads to more acid attacks on our teeth. Instead, keep sugar consumption to meal times only.
5. Don’t skip seeing your dentist
Despite the clear benefits of regular dental visits, as many as 27% only visit the dentist when they have a problem. By having regular appointments, your dentist and hygienist can help maintain a healthy mouth and keep oral disease at bay.
Unhurried, calm dental care
We want our patients from across Evesham, Pershore, Bidford, Stratford, Worcester and beyond to have faith and confidence in their teeth, have their concerns and problems fixed and enjoy predictable results for their treatment. If that’s the kind of dental care you think you’d enjoy, then please contact us for more information.
