Protect your mouth and body!

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 at one other time during the day 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 erosion and decay.  Avoid snacking as this leads to more acid attacks on our teeth. Instead, keep sugar consumption to meal times only.  If we do really need a snack, then stick to savoury snacks such as nuts or cheese.

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 us maintain a healthy mouth and keep oral disease at bay.