As we get back into the routine of work and getting our children off to school, we may realise some of the daily oral health care may have been a bit relaxed over the holidays. This month we've composed some helpful tips to get the family back on track to prevent tooth decay through simple brushing and flossing techniques.
This month we'll be looking at :
Home Dental Tips
Electric Toothbrushes
Using Dental Floss
Electric Toothbrushes
Electric toothbrushes are effective, especially for children, people with a handicap or arthritis sufferers. However, electric toothbrushes can be used too quickly resulting in not enough time spent on each tooth surface. If your electric toothbrush comes with a timer use it to ensure that you clean your teeth for the required length of time, 3 to 5 minutes. Once again focus on the junction where the teeth and gums meet and ensure the rotating bristles are placed over each surface of every tooth. The brush head will need replacing as often as a manual toothbrush, so it's best to buy a well known brand to ensure they'll be available in the future. When introducing an electric toothbrush to a child demonstrate the tooth brushing technique without the power on and apply the same brushing action as for a regular toothbrush.
Home Dental Care brushing tips: Using Dental Floss
Flossing every day is also good for oral hygiene. It is the most effective way to remove plaque from hard to reach places between the teeth where a good brushing technique cannot reach.
If you use your floss after you've brushed your teeth you'll get a good indications as to how much food and plaque is left behind just from brushing alone. By making flossing a part of your routine you'll prevent the need for dental repairs between your teeth, your gums will remain healthy and you'll be saying goodbye to bad breath.
easy as 1,2, 3...
Wrap about 30cm of dental floss or tape around your middle or index fingers
Grip the floss between the thumb and index finger of each hand, leaving about 5 cm in between
Gently direct the floss between each tooth. Move it slowly up and down in a gentle sawing motion to scrape the tooth surface. Glide the floss around the tooth and under the gum edge in a half moon shape until you have removed all the food particles and plaque.
Be careful not to "snap" the floss onto the gums as this can cause bruising and bleeding. Use a fresh segments of floss for each tooth, moving along each tooth until all have been cleaned. Give your mouth a rinse iut when you are finished. If you have a ceramic bridge you'll need some special bridge floss to clean away the plaque build up between the bridge and your gums. We'll gladly provide you with instructions for flossing and use of ther cleaning aids at your next dental visit.