At Kennett Road Dental Practice, we hope you all know how and when to brush your teeth. It seems like the most basic thing to remember, but basic oral health is one of the things that we know can slip through the cracks when life already feels like a juggle. To make things nice and clear, we wanted to share some helpful tips about how to keep your mouth healthy between dentist visits and share some statistics from the Oral Health Foundation. They have collated some interesting figures about how many of us are actually fitting in the recommended course of oral care in our busy daily lives.
Toothbrushing: Most people are aware of the recommendations around toothbrushing. Use a fluoride toothpaste and a comfortable toothbrush to brush your teeth twice a day. Simple right? Well apparently not, because although thousands are making time to tune into Love Island recently, 26% of Brits are only brushing their teeth once a day. Is it just lack of time, or something else that causes over one in four people to skip an important step in their daily dental routine?
More concerning still, is that 1 in 4 adults do not brush their teeth before bed. Perhaps it’s the same people who are only brushing once. Who knows, and who cares if some people aren’t brushing their teeth before bed? What’s so special about the before bed brush anyway? Well, brushing at this time is actually the most important dental habit you can adopt. The official advice from the Oral Health Foundation is to “brush teeth last thing at night & one other time during the day, with a fluoride toothpaste.” So, not just ‘twice daily,’ specifically before bed and at any other time of day. If you take nothing else from this article, remember this: Brush your teeth before bed. Your teeth will thank you in later life.
Mouthwash: Some people are a fan, other’s not so much but how important is it really? It is important to remember that using mouthwash is not a substitute for effective toothbrushing and between the teeth cleaning. It is a useful add-on to your dental routine and can make your mouth feel extra fresh and clean. Brushing your teeth is the best way to keep them clean, but what about your gums, your tongue and the rest of your mouth? It is well known that many of the bad breath causing bacteria are present on your tongue and the soft tissues in your mouth, as well as your teeth. You use your whole mouth to process food, not just your teeth. To best protect from gum disease and other unpleasant, yet extremely common issues, we suggest you use an appropriate mouthwash at least once a day along with toothbrushing and interdental cleaning. If you don’t, then why not start now? When using mouthwash as an add-on, your mouth won’t be ‘extra clean’, it will be as clean as it should be. We recommend using an alcohol-free mouthwash as it is less harsh on your mouth.
Flossing and Interdental Cleaning: Not the contemporary dance move. No, we can’t figure out how to do it either, but we do know a lot about how to floss between your teeth. We recommend using interdental brushes to clean between your teeth for optimum dental protection. After all, brushing only removes up to 60% of the plaque and debris that builds up in your mouth on a daily basis! Food particles can easily get wedged between your teeth and breed infection-causing bacteria. The best way to protect your teeth and gums from that is to brush or floss between your teeth. Some people are pros at using dental floss or choose to use floss holders which prove less fiddly, but interdental brushes are our recommendation to keep your whole mouth healthier. We know that remembering all these things daily can be a task and a half in modern life, but we know teeth and we know how to care for them. If you think your teeth are important enough for us dentists to look after, then they’re important enough for you to look after too. After all, they’re your teeth and they’re the only set you get. Treat them well and smile with confidence.
If you’re prone to forgetting to perform your basic dental care, then why not set an alarm or reminder on your phone or smartwatch? We have access to amazing technology now, so use it to your advantage and get organised.
We’re happy to help and advise you at any dental appointment. The staff at Kennett Road Dental Practice are here to help and answer any questions you may have about your daily oral care routine, or any other queries. You can contact us by clicking here, or you can visit the Oral Health Foundation’s advice on daily dental care here.