Preventiv Dentistry, oral hygiene: Grandstand Dental Care Waverley Park Melbourne






		Your health and dentistry \| Diet and decay \| Your Oral Hygiene Routine Your Oral Hygiene Routine Brushing your teeth is not enough to remove all the food debris and plaque that has build up over your teeth throughout the day. Flossing is essential to remove the build up between your teeth – in hard to reach places where your tooth brush bristles can not penetrate. There are many products, like tooth picks, and inter-dental brushes that can be used to remove food that becomes caught between your teeth. Some people are more prone to this than others and this depends on your tooth alignment, missing teeth and if you have crowns or fillings that may trap food beneath them. Mouthwash is another adjunct to help remove plaque and give you fresh breath. How often you should use a mouthwash depends on numerous factors, and while brushing and flossing is essential every day, using a mouthwash is not necessary for every person. At Grandstand Dental Care, we take a great deal time to analyse where your food and plaque is accumulating and will teach you an effective way to properly clean your teeth and gums using the product that best suits your mouth. Brushing You should brush your teeth for at least two minutes twice a day. Below are some easy to follow tips on brushing effectively. Select a soft-bristled toothbrush with a small head so you can access hard to reach places and your back teeth. Hold your brush at a 45-degree angle against your gum-line; softly brush from where the tooth and gum meet, to the chewing surface in short strokes. With a short sweeping action, clean the chewing surfaces of your teeth, tipping the bristles allows you to get into the pits and crevices of your back teeth or molars. To clean the inside surfaces of your top and bottom front teeth and gums, hold your brush almost vertically. Using a forward and back motion, bring the front part of the brush over the teeth and gums. To remove bacteria that can cause bad breath, brush your tongue and roof of your mouth. Use a forward-sweeping motion from back to front; it may take a little time to get used to, but it is an important part of total cleaning. Brushing can not remove the food build up between your teeth as the tooth brush bristles can not penetrate into such a small space. That is why brushing alone is only part of an effective daily oral health routine. Electric toothbrushes Research has shown both powered and manual toothbrushes can be equally effective at plaque removal if they are used correctly. It is not so much the brush you use, but how often you use it and your brushing technique being most important. Flossing Flossing will remove plaque build-up and food particles caught between teeth from daily meals not able to be accessed with your toothbrush. When flossing, be careful to avoid injuring your gums. Do not force the floss down too hard in between your teeth. Using approximately 50cm of floss, wind it loosely around your middle fingers. Carefully insert the floss between two teeth using a back and forward sawing action. Curve the floss around the side of your tooth to make a rounded “V” shape. Slide the floss up and down the side of each tooth. Gently push the floss under the gums as far as it can go whilst the floss is curved around the root of the tooth. Gently push the floss below the gums ensuring not to apply too much force. Use a clean length of floss for each tooth, repeat the process for all your teeth. Don’t forget to floss the back and sides of your back teeth. Although it can take some time to master, it’s an important part of your daily oral hygiene routine. Children's teeth also need flossing. You should help your child brush and floss until they are around 8 years old as younger children are not able to do this effectively on their own. Flossing wands are of great benefit to children and adults alike as the floss is held in a holder that makes it easier to apply the floss to the hard to reach spaces. Ensure you clean the plaque from the floss before reinserting your flossing wand into each crevice. Mouthwash There is a large variety of over the counter mouthwashes available from supermarkets or chemists. Mouthwash is of great benefit to those who have difficulty in the manual dexterity required to clean back teeth. Ensure you follow the directions on the mouthwash correctly. Ask us if mouth washing would be of benefit to you.

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Your Oral Hygiene Routine