- Brushing keeps your teeth and gums healthy. - Henrik Abelsson
Dental care is a daily routine everyone has, and it's pretty straight forward, right? Right. But often there's a little something extra to help keep our teeth sparkling into old age, and prevent halitosis from ruining that all-important first date.
Flossing for Healthy Gums
Many people are put off flossing because, when they first try it, they find their gums become sore or even bleed. Although it's hard to believe: bleeding is good! At least when first starting.
People who haven't flossed before usually have some plaque build-up between their inner tooth and gum. Flossing dislodges this and can expose weakness in the gums which, if left unchecked, may lead to gum disease.
Be gentle and don't cut into the gum. Persisting through the discomfort increases circulation in the gums, making them stronger and healthier. This in turn leads to less plaque and no bleeding.
People who don't get on with standard dental floss might prefer Interdental Brushes, which are small brushes used to poke between the gaps in teeth. There are available cheaply at most chemists', a pack of ten costing around £3/$6.
Searching YouTube for "How to Floss" brings up a number of helpful tutorials on getting the technique right.
Brushing Teeth Effectively
Everybody has different styles of brushing their teeth, but sometimes they forget the hard-to-reach areas. Don't forget to brush:
- The very back of the mouth where wisdom teeth eventually come through. Sometimes people avoid this area when cutting wisdom teeth because it becomes sore and inflamed, but brushing lightly stops food infecting the area and also helps the tooth to break through the gum.
- The front teeth, which are often the area given most attention.
- Back and forth across the top of the front teeth and incisors: Dark stains can start to accumulate in the dents in front teeth, this is not decay but can look unpleasant.
- Behind the teeth: Brush with the toothbrush head horizontal as for the front of the teeth. Brushers should be able to feel the bristles tickling along the back of the gum, this means the brush is in the most effective position.
Brushing after flossing helps to clear away any debris pulled from between teeth. A toothbrush should be replaced every three months.
Orabrush for Fresh Breath
A relatively new invention is the Orabrush, which simply brushs back and forth over the tongue to remove white film and keep breath smelling sweet. It's made from plastic so it lasts a lot longer than a toothbrush and, provided it's cleaned, won't need replacing for a very long time.
Rinsing With Mouthwash
Swill and gargle with mouthwash to get right in between gaps in teeth and pull any tenacious residue from the tongue.
Some people are put off strong mouthwash, such as Listerine, because it causes a sharp sensation on the tongue which can be uncomfortable. Although this sharp sensation coaxes saliva glands into action, which also helps to reduce plaque, it isn't always pleasant first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
For people who don't like this sensation, there is a brand called Dentyl which comes in a number of flavours including clove, mint and citrus. All of the Dentyl range are extremely kind on the saliva glands.
Chewing With Xylitol
Finally, chewing certain types of sugar-free gum throughout the day can help to produce saliva, the body's natural defence against plaque, keeping breath fresh and encouraging circulation in the gums.
Although Xylitol may sound like a chemical best avoided, it's actually a naturally occurring sugar-substitute found in fruit and vegetables. A study in the International Dental Journal 1995, showed Xylitol to have a plaque-reducing effect and helped damaged teeth repair themselves quicker.
Several brands of chewing gum now contain this ingredient.
Five-Point Dental Code
So the five-point dental code includes:
- Flossing
- Brushing
- Orabrushing
- Mouthwashing
- Chewing
It may sound like a lot, but even if these activities are only given two minutes each a day (10 minutes total!) they will have a huge impact on the health of teeth and produce a more attractive smile.
