Dental Hygiene

Your dentist will advise you on what preventative measures to take, but they will include using a suitable toothbrush, flossing to remove any food debris and rinsing the mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash.

As an extra measure, coating the teeth with fluoride or using fluoride based toothpaste can help to strengthen and protect them. You will notice that the toothpastes available at your supermarket or chemist contain fluoride which is proven to protect against tooth decay and disease.

There are several ways of ensuring that your teeth and gums stay healthy. These include brushing, flossing, the application of fluoride and mouthwashes. Another factor is following a healthy diet which is low in sugar yet high in fibre.

Keeping your teeth clean and therefore healthy is important but how many of us follow a dental hygiene routine? How many of us actually bother to brush our teeth twice a day and floss as well? We know that we should see the dentist every 6 months for a check up but in reality, we don’t always do so.

There may be variety of reasons for this. Fear of the dentist, treatment costs or feeling like your life is too busy to bother with this are all contributory factors.

However, if you don’t follow a dental hygiene routine or are half-hearted about it then the consequences can be much worse. Tooth decay, dental cavities, periodontal gum disease and halitosis (bad breath) are just some of the problems that can arise.

So, the answer is to take care of your teeth and gums on a regular basis. And, if possible, start this from an early age. If you have children then encourage them to brush their teeth as soon as they are able. If they are very young – as in infants then you can do this for them by using a soft cloth to clean their teeth.