Maintaining your home oral hygiene routine is vital in maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Six month check ups with your dentist are very important, as is pursuing a balanced diet, but in the mean time it is crucial that you take good care of your teeth at home by brushing and flossing.
With plaque forming on teeth four to twelve hours after they were last brushed, it is essential that teeth are brushed at least twice a day to prevent a build-up. If you can, try to brush after every meal or snack too using a fluoride toothpaste which helps to strengthen tooth enamel. Be sure to brush gently using a soft-bristled brush. The use of hard brushes and an overly vigorous technique can inflict damage on gums. Brushing should take two to three minutes during which time it is very important that you have reached all the teeth in your mouth.
Having brushed, employing dental floss is the next stage and it is just as crucial. Floss is a thin nylon or Teflon thread used to clean in between the teeth. Debris and plaque are removed by placing the floss between two teeth and moving it up and down. No matter how good your tooth brushing routine is, flossing is still required to reach those points between teeth that brushes cannot get to.
If you have not used dental floss before you might experience soreness or even a little bleeding the first few times you do, but don’t be put off as flossing plays a hugely important role in removing the plaque which helps acid to attack and erode teeth. Contact your Central Leeds dentist to ask for more advice about brushing and flossing.
Tags: brushing and flossing, oral hygiene, plaque
