We know many people have been unable or unwilling to visit a dentist during the pandemic. Oral hygiene forms a key part of maintaining your general health, with specialists advising that you should visit a dental hygienist at least once every 6-12 months to help mitigate any dental issues as you get older.
With all that is going on, this is not possible for the majority of us. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of tips on how to keep up good oral hygiene practices.
What is oral hygiene?
Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping your mouth clean and free from disease or infection. It is important to take care of your teeth and gums; you can do this by brushing your teeth and cleaning between them on a regular basis. These easy tasks will only take minutes out of your day and will ensure that your smile will last as long as possible without the need for dental implants!
Oral hygiene Advice
- Make sure you always brush your teeth thoroughly twice a day – do not neglect your teeth at night; think about all of the plaque and germs you’ve accumulated over the day.
- Floss daily between the teeth to remove dental plaque.
- Don’t forget your tongue! Plaque can build up on here too, not brushing your tongue can also cause a bad mouth odor. Make sure you brush your tongue daily.
- Consider using mouthwash for tooth and gum health. It helps to reduce the acid in your mouth and get to those hard-to-reach areas. It might be worth asking your dentist to recommend which kind of mouthwash would be best for you.
- Drink lots of water – particularly after eating, it can help to clear out some of the acid left from food and beverages.
- Be mindful of how much sugary and acidic food you are eating. You do not need to cut these out altogether but sugar essentially converts to acid in the mouth which can then cause erosion of your enamel and lead to cavities. It’s not always the obvious suspects such as sweets and cakes that can harm your teeth, acidic fruits, tea, and coffee can also wear down the enamel on your teeth.
- Smoking is not good for oral health. If you are a smoker and are worried about your oral health, it would be best to try and quit.
- Limit your alcoholic drinks. White wine, beer, and cider can be very acidic – drinking too much can cause erosion of the enamel on your teeth which may lead to sensitivity or pain. Spirits such as gin and whisky that have a very high alcohol content can cause dry mouth, try not to drink these too often, but when you do, ensure you drink lots of water. Many mixers and alcopops are high in sugar which can cause tooth decay.
- Brush with fluoride toothpaste.
- If you take medication that causes dry mouth, ask your doctor for a different medication that will not cause this, alternatively, just make sure you are drinking plenty of water; chewing sugar-free gum also helps.
- Make sure you have a dental checkup once or twice a year, even if you have no natural teeth or have dentures. Get in touch with one of our consultants today to book your My Healthcare Clinic appointment.
If you take good care of your teeth, then you can keep them for a lifetime, not everyone is destined to have missing teeth and need implants!.
My Health Clinic is open during the restrictions across all of our locations. Book an appointment at any of our COVID safe clinics to keep your oral health in check.