Ways to Improve Your Dental Hygiene Routine

We all have our own personal dental hygiene routine and a collection of our favourite dental hygiene products. With that being said, there are still a lot of us that fail to maintain a full dental hygiene routine and often miss parts out of our routine that is vital for healthy teeth, gums and even a healthy body.

The best way to improve your dental hygiene is by booking an appointment to see a dental hygienist, which allows you access to a complete dental checkup and advice to improve your dental routine, tailored to the condition of your teeth and gums.

If you are looking for ways to improve your dental hygiene routine, keep reading. We have composed a list of the top ways our patients have been able to improve their routine in some simple steps.

Visit a Dentist More Regularly

You should ideally be visiting your dentist every six months, as a good rule of thumb. This is the standard frequency for most of our patients, and we may ask you to visit more regularly if we have any concerns.

However, according to studies carried out by Chemist4U, only 56.1% of adults are estimated to actually visit the dentist as much as they should, meaning that almost half of the UK population either do not visit the dentist or do not visit as much as they should. This has led to a number of UK adults requiring emergency treatment and treatment to reverse common dental problems.

As your dentist can recognise the early signs of these dental problems, before they even become a problem, visiting your dentist regularly for a check-up can give you complete peace of mind.

Get Your Teeth Professionally Cleaned

As well as visiting the dentist for routine check-ups, you should also be having your teeth professionally cleaned on a regular basis in order to improve your oral health. During a dental hygienist appointment, your hygienist will check over your teeth and gums before professionally cleaning your teeth.

They will remove any hard deposits, also known as calculus, and stains by scaling and then polishing the teeth. Having this professional clean will remove those hard deposits that cannot be removed with normal brushing, flossing and mouthwash.

Brush with Fluoride Toothpaste

When shopping for toothpaste, many of us tend to go for the most affordable product and may not even check the brand that we buy, meaning that most of us certainly are not checking the ingredients either!

When it comes to oral hygiene, you must be brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Toothpaste containing fluoride is proven to prevent cavities and can save you a lot of trouble later on, so we strongly advise avoiding fluoride-free toothpaste.

You can easily find this information by looking at the packaging of the toothpaste. You’ll be unlikely to find this out on the front of the packaging, so you may have to read through the ingredients and small print on the back to be sure.

To make your life a little easier, we recently compiled a list of the best toothpaste!

Brush Before Breakfast

To many of us, it might make more sense to brush our teeth after eating breakfast in order to remove food particles and start off our day. However, it’s actually better for you to brush before you have breakfast as this has a better effect on your teeth and gums. Brushing your teeth before breakfast can rid the mouth of plaque build-up overnight.

You should never brush your teeth immediately after eating as your teeth will be weaker due to the pH level in your mouth. While we know it seems to make more sense to brush after having breakfast, this can be harmful to your protective enamel. This is why we recommend waiting at least 30 minutes to brush your teeth after having a meal.

Don’t Forget to Brush Your Tongue

The tongue can hold a significant amount of bacteria and can contribute to bad breath and gum disease. However, some patients forget to brush their tongues and will only brush their teeth and gums.

It’s just as important to clean the tongue as it is to brush and floss between the teeth. Plaque can very quickly build up on your tongue and, when left, can lead to other oral health problems. When brushing your teeth twice a day, be sure to gently brush your tongue before you are done.

Always Floss

You may be surprised to know that a lot of patients neglect to floss as they have the belief that brushing alone is an appropriate routine. However, brushing can only remove some particles, whereas flossing can get rid of the particles stuck between the teeth, as well as reducing plaque and stimulating the gums.

We recommend flossing once a day, whenever is most convenient for you. If you find flossing difficult or feel uncomfortable flossing, you may wish to explore the different floss options that may work better for you. During your check-up appointment, we can talk you through the best option for you.

Drink More Water

Guidelines state that the UK adult should drink between 6-8 glasses of water each day in order to stay healthy and hydrated, however, this isn’t always achieved.

Water is e the best drink for your overall health, including your oral health too. As a general rule of thumb, you should be drinking water after every meal in order to help wash out any food particles and residue left behind.

How Can We Help?

Our award-winning cosmetic dentists use the most advanced equipment and aim to offer painless dentistry for nervous patients, including the option for sedation for optimum comfort.

At Perfect Smile Spa, we recognise how important a smile is to our patients and we pride ourselves by giving our patients the most pleasant dental experience to enable them to overcome any fears and maintain their teeth for the rest of their lives.

Our dental practice is located in Essex and is easily accessible from most areas around the UK. For more information on our cosmetic dental treatments, please get in touch with us or call us on 01708 442 114.

Ways to Improve Your Dental Hygiene Routine was last modified: August 16th, 2021 by Perfect Smile Spa