Get – and stay – on top of your oral hygiene this springtime: Pembroke Dental’s dental hygienist Lorraine Doyle shares some advice on maintaining good oral hygiene at home.
Do you every find that if your house is not too messy to begin with it’s easier to keep it fairly tidy, but if it looks like a hurricane breezed through recently it’s hard to know where to begin? The secret of good housekeeping is the same as for good oral hygiene – consistency! Basic everyday care will keep your teeth and gums in the best shape possible, which has positive effects on your overall health and appearance.
For most patients, a professional hygiene cleaning every six months helps to keep your own standards high and boosts the efforts you make with brushing and flossing at home. Here are our top tips developing good oral hygiene habits at home.
Floss – every day!
Do I have to?
You don’t have to floss all your teeth, only the ones you want to keep!
As Dr Owens often tells her patients here in Ballsbridge, brushing your teeth without flossing is like taking a shower without washing your armpits!
I don’t floss because my gums bleed.
No, your gums bleed because you don’t floss! It takes only 21 days of daily flossing after a professional clean for the gums to stop bleeding. Give yourself a 21 day healthy gums challenge and stick with it!
I can’t manage the floss.
There are lots of other options if you find regular floss too awkward: dental tape, long handled flossers, easy slide flossers, bridge and implant floss and interdental brushes, which come in various sizes and can be sized to suit. Lorraine can advise you on what’s best for you to use at your scale & polish appointment.
Isn’t swishing a bit of mouthwash around my mouth just as good as brushing or flossing?
Short answer – no!
Other great tips include moving the floss along as you go, to use a fresh section in each interdental space. Hold the floss so that it makes a C-shape rather than a straight line. Like this, it’s more effective and causes no trauma to the gums.
Brush regularly, twice daily
You should be brushing twice daily, morning and evening, for at least two minutes. If you’re unsure, check with Dr David Keenan, Dr Jennifer Owens or Lorraine Doyle what the correct technique is for your mouth. Try some plaque disclosing tablets when practicing your brushing technique at home. They will highlight the areas most in need of attention. You could also try an electric toothbrush, especially if you’re not brushing effectively or if you’re putting too much pressure on your teeth or gums when you brush.
Call 01 668 3242 or email info@pembrokedentist.ie today to schedule a dental hygiene appointment with Lorraine Doyle and start your 21 day healthy gums challenge!
