Oral Hygiene

How do I maintain good oral health?

• Brush 2x daily, for 4 minutes at a time. In the morning, after breakfast. In the evening, brushing your teeth must be the last thing you do before going to bed.
  
  
• Floss at least 1x daily. This will prevent many future problems.
  
  
• Interdental brushes and any other interdental cleaning device can be used in ADDITION to brushing and flossing.
  
  
• Reduce sugar intake and eat a healthy diet.
  
  
• Ensure you have 6x monthly oral hygiene visits, in order to keep the amount of bacterial growth and gum inflammation to a minimum and prevent bleeding gums, pain and cavities.

A proper full fine cleaning takes 45-60 minutes to complete!

Good oral health and preventative care is vital to maintain healthy teeth and gums. A clean mouth can not develop cavities or gum disease and will contribute to your overall health.

Correct daily brushing and flossing is necessary to remove the bacteria that collects in your mouth and are responsible for oral diseases. These diseases include cavities, inflamed gums (bleeding gums) and halitosis (bad breath).

We recommend you visit the oral hygienist every 6 months for a thorough scale and polish (cleaning). She will explain how the various dental diseases develop in your mouth, show you the correct way to brush your teeth twice a day and demonstrate how to floss too. At each appointment she will follow up on your cleaning regime and guide you in changes that need to be made to reach those difficult to clean areas.

Plaque consists out of various types of bacteria and if not removed leads to the various oral health problems such as cavities and gum disease. Cavities develop when bacteria "changes" the sugar we consume into acid, which in turn demineralises (weakens) the enamel structure and leads to a cavity. These cavities if not repaired quickly, spread into the other tooth layers (dentine) and eventually reach the tooth pulp (nerve). This will cause toothache.

Plaque collects along the gum-line and will cause inflammation at the gum-line if not removed daily. The inflammation will cause the gums to bleed (gingivitis) and the undisturbed plaque will calcify to form tartar. If the tartar is not removed, the inflammatory process continues and eventually starts destroying the supporting structures of the tooth (ligament and bone). The tooth will become mobile and this leads to eventual tooth loss.

All this is preventable with correct oral hygiene techniques.

Plaque	Periodontitius	Calculus	Healthy gum

Contact our practice today so that we can set up a cleaning appointment for you with the oral hygienist for a healthy, clean mouth.