Good oral hygiene is the key to excellent dental health and, the more you ensure your teeth are looked after when you’re not in pain, the less chance you have to suffer pain at all. By visiting your dental hygienist regularly helps improve and maintain – the health of your teeth and gums and avoiding the numerous complications that have been linked to gum disease.
What is the purpose of dental hygiene?
A suitable dental and oral hygiene routine can:
- Help with the prevention of plaque, the sticky film of bacteria that forms on the hand surfaces of pearly whites. This can result in a number of issues – including tooth decay, tartar, gingivitis and gum disease if left untreated.
- Improve a patient’s quality of life by assisting their speech and eating functions, as oral health will last longer if this is kept up, while individuals will not have to contend with the embarrassment of bad breath or missing fixtures.
The problem with both gum disease and tooth decay is that they don’t have a lot of early warning signs to spot at home. The first symptom of tooth decay is usually either pain or a bit of your tooth breaking off, by which time it is usually quiet advanced. Swollen, red gums that bleed when you brush your teeth and persistent bad breath are early indicators of gum disease.
At Saving Smiles your dentist will employ early detection techniques for both of these conditions. Catching them early – often before you’ve even realized something is wrong – makes them easier to treat.
Because we’re each unique and having changing circumstances, its absolutely vital that you never miss your bi-annual check-up this will allow your dentist and hygienist to flag any issues and prescribe more frequent treatments if needed to nip concerns in the bud.
We recommend that you follow these simple steps to help keep your teeth and gums healthy:
- Brush your teeth last thing at night and at least one other time during the day, with a fluoride toothpaste
- Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks
- Consume Calcium and other Vitamins that are good for the body
- Clean your Tongue daily
- Visit your dental team regularly, as often as they recommend
Cutting down the amount of sugar in your diet, and the number of times that you eat during the day, can help to reduce decay. Your hygienist can help you by looking at your decay problem and your diet, and by making some recommendations for you to consider.
Chewing sugar-free gum for 10 minutes after meals can also help prevent tooth decay. Chewing gum makes your mouth produce more saliva, which cancels out the acid produced in your mouth after drinking and eating.
If you would like to discuss more of these options please get in touch with us at Saving Smiles
Telephone 01327 342412 or email [email protected]
