Oral Hygiene Practice

Our dentists provide a prevention-based approach this approach requires regular dental exanimations to watch for early signs of dental disease and provide advice to help keep your mouth healthy.

You dentist will provide tailored advice that will help reduce or minimise your risk of developing dental disease, this advice includes:

• Oral Hygiene and Fluoride Advice
   
  • Brush twice a day using a Fluoride containing toothpaste
  • Use a gentle circular motion – don’t scrub horizontally as this will irreversibly damage your gums
  • Brush for two minutes and spit out the foam- don’t rinse with water
  • Clean between your teeth daily using floss, tepes or other interdental cleaning tools after brushing, try superfloss for cleaning under bridges
  • Change your toothbrush every 6-8 weeks
  • Try using an electric toothbrush
  • Angle the toothbrush bristles into the gum line and brush with gentle circular movements (see below)
  • Flossing - Gently pull the floss down either side of the tooth into the pocket, being careful not to cause trauma to the gum

• Diet Advice
   
  • Aim for no more than 4 sugar hits per day, a sugar hit can include drinks between meals (this usually means breakfast, lunch, dinner plus one snack and/or drink that contains sugar)
  • Between meals only drink drinks containing no added sugar (tea and coffee without sugar, unsweetened milk and water)
  • Safe snacks include fruit (the sugar in fruit does not cause dental decay, however it can cause erosion of the teeth, vegetables, breadsticks, a small piece of cheese
  • Do not have anything to eat or drink (except water) after brushing your teeth at bedtime

• Smoking Cessation
   
  • Smoking cigarettes, pipes, cigars and roll-ups are all strongly associated with a number of systemic illnesses and cancers- it is a major risk factor for the development of mouth cancer and gum disease. Chewing tobacco is also strongly associated with mouth cancer

• Alcohol intake
   
  • Alcohol intake above the recommended limits has been found to be strongly associated with your risk of developing mouth cancer, it has also been linked to your risk of developing gum disease, your dentist will discuss your intake with you and provide guidance. Current limits are no more than 14 units per week for a man or a woman