A few home truths about teeth cleaning

Teeth cleaning – it’s such an important part of our daily lives; an essential dental hygiene activity that helps to prevent the misery and pain of tooth decay, gum disease and even bad breath. Yet as one of the region’s leading dental practices we see time and time again that too many people simply do not fully understand how to clean their teeth properly. So here are a few facts, some tips and the kind of professional advice that will help ensure your teeth cleaning routine really is a good as it can be.If you take a look at our hygiene page you will find lots of useful advice and also some video demonstrations showing you just how to clean your teeth and keep your mouth healthy.Our first piece of advice is to choose the best equipment – that is a good quality ‘medium bristle’ toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.Equally important is when, how often and how long you should spend on teeth cleaning.

When? Every morning as soon as you get up and then again every night just before you go to bed.How often? Every single day.How long? We recommend that you should brush your teeth for at least two minutes every time you clean them. That’s thirty seconds for each quarter of your mouth. Don’t brush too hard, but apply gentle pressure to prevent a build-up of plaque on your teeth. If you allow the plaque to harden into tartar it can only be removed by a dentist or dental hygienist.Remember, healthy teeth and gums mean fewer dental problems.Brushing, no matter how well you do it, can only reach about sixty per cent of the surface area of your teeth. The other forty per cent, that is the area between your teeth, should be cleaned by regular flossing or inter-dental cleaning. Again check our hygiene page to see videos and obtain further information about the correct way to floss or use an interdental brush.Finally, and just as important as teeth cleaning, you should also regularly clean your tongue to remove bacteria that can contribute to bad breath. See our hygiene page for details.There is one more piece of essential teeth cleaning advice we should give you. That is, no matter how well you clean your teeth, you should also make a regular appointment to visit your dentist or hygienist who can examine your teeth and provide professional teeth cleaning treatment that will effectively remove any build up of tartar – a leading cause of tooth decay and gum disease. Your hygienist can also provide lots of expert advice on the best methods of teeth cleaning.If you would like to make an appointment to see one of our dentists or hygienists to arrange professional teeth cleaning treatment please do not hesitate to contact us. You can call us on 0161 951 7295 or alternatively you can contact us by using the online form on our Appointments page.