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We at Widnes Dental Practice believe wholeheartedly in prevention over cure and want to ensure all our patients have as much information as possible on the best ways they can take care of their teeth at home. For this reason we’ve chatted to your dentist in Widnes to put together a complete guide on oral hygiene and the best practices you can apply to your everyday life to keep your teeth and gums as healthy and possible.
What Is Oral Hygiene?
Oral hygiene is the upkeep and cleaning on your teeth, gums and tongue. It’s a way to refer to the combination of all the things we do in order to keep our teeth clean. For some people they think that oral hygiene begins and ends with a quick scrub in the mornings but we’re here to let you know this just isn’t the case.
What Happens When Oral Hygiene Is neglected?
When patients neglect their oral hygiene a few things will happen they’ll likely first develop gum disease and then decay. If left untreated these two things will deteriorate and could lead to tooth loss. Which is why it's super important to book in with the dentist in Widnes whenever you experience any changes to your oral health.
Oral Hygiene Best Practices
In order to maintain healthy teeth and gums there are a few things you should be doing at home to get the best clean possible.
Number One - Brushing. Now, most people brush their teeth. This is true but what we find is that most people don’t have a) the right toothbrush and b) the right techniques.
Let's tackle the toothbrush first. We don’t believe you need an electric toothbrush to achieve an excellent clean but you do need a brush that fits your mouth. If the brush is too big for you, you won’t be able to get into the smaller cracks at the back of your mouth! So get a brush the right size for you.
When looking at brushing technique make sure you are using the brush across the whole 360’ of the tooth, and paying close attention to the gum line. Only then will you be able to remove the build of bacteria that’s creating plaque and tartar.
Take your time, lots of patients think they’re brushing for long enough when in fact they aren’t. A top tip from your dentist in Widnes is to set a timer when you’re brushing so you can see just how long two whole minutes actually is! It’s longer than you think.
Number Two - Flossing. So, so, so many people still don’t floss their teeth daily if at all and this is such a mistake. Flossing is the only thing you can get deep down into the gum line and remove the tiny particles of bacteria that just aren’t visible to us. These little bits of germ will buildup and cause a problem for the health of your teeth if ignored.
We get that flossing can feel like a faff but you’ll thank us in the long term if you invest a little bit of time now.