Brush your teeth at least twice a day for about 2 minutes.
It is important to brush with the right technique! People often think that the harder they brush the better it is, but this can cause their gums and tooth surfaces to wear away.
Do not brush for at least 30 minutes after eating. This will give the saliva time to neutralize any acids that have been caused by eating and drinking. If you do brush straight after eating or drinking there is a good chance that any acids present will have softened the enamel (outer tooth surface), leading you to “brush away” tooth surface.
Use Floss and/or inter-proximal brushes (e.g. Tepe brushes) at least once (ideally twice) a day, thereby cleaning the tooth surfaces and removing bacteria and food debris from in-between the teeth.
Adults should ideally not rinse out their mouth after brushing but rather spit out any excess tooth paste, thereby leaving a film on the teeth. This allows the teeth to benefit from the protective effects of the toothpaste components.
Children who still have adult teeth to come through should under normal circumstances rinse out their mouth with water after brushing. This is to avoid them having too much fluoride in their body which may damage their developing adult teeth.
Electric toothbrushes are on average better than manual toothbrushes as they make brushing easier. Saying that, not everyone is a suitable candidate to use an electric toothbrush. Our dentists and hygienists will be able to advise you on which one is better for you.
We normally do not recommend using “standard” mouthwashes after brushing your teeth as they can wash away the beneficial components of the toothpaste. There are of course situations where we do recommend a specialized/medicated mouthrinse. One of these situations is when gum disease is present.
Contact us today to enable us to put together a customized oral hygiene program for you, thereby helping you to keep your teeth for as long as possible.
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