Think you’re cleaning your teeth correctly?

The best dental hygiene involves more than just a daily brushing

When a dentist or hygienist talks about the best dental hygiene techniques, yes they include advice about brushing, but more importantly, they also talk about a whole host of other considerations ranging from the food and drinks you indulge in, to how often, when and which is the best way to clean your teeth.Surprisingly it appears that a large percentage of people simply do not know how and when they should clean their teeth, while equally importantly many people are not aware that food and drinks, including the supposedly healthy snacks and drinks they enjoy, can actually be harming their teeth.Let’s begin with brushing. Apart from people who simply do not brush their teeth every day – which in itself leads to severe tooth decay and gum disease – many of those who do brush regularly do it at the wrong time.You should always clean your teeth using a medium bristle brush and fluoride toothpaste as soon as you get up in a morning. Don’t wait until after breakfast. Eating and drinking will soften the enamel on your teeth so it is important not to brush immediately after a meal. By removing traces of plaque before you eat it helps to prevent the sugar reaction that can produce the damaging acid and lead to tooth decay.Our cleaning advice recommends that you do not brush too hard because that can also cause damage to your teeth and gums. Also, after brushing do not rinse your mouth because of that only washes off the protective coating of fluoride.The recommended practice is to brush your teeth again before you go to bed at night – but again wait for at least 45-minutes after eating or drinking.Brushing alone will only clean about 60 percent of the surface of your teeth, which leaves around 40 percent (the areas between your teeth) untouched. Therefore the best dental hygiene advice is that you regularly floss or use an inter dental brush to remove plaque from between your teeth.Apart from cleaning correctly the best protection for your teeth is your own saliva, which acts as a natural buffer against acid attack. During a meal, you produce lots of saliva, but in between meals your mouth can dry out so if you snack on sweet foods and drink sugary or fizzy drinks during the day it can be extremely harmful to your teeth.Our best dental hygiene advice is to avoid sweetened food and drinks (except water) between meals. While eating sweet desserts, drinking wines and flavoured or fizzy drinks during a meal means that the natural saliva in your mouth can help to protect your teeth against acid damage … in between meals, the risk is far greater.In the main, the best dental hygiene advice is to use your own common sense. Clean your teeth thoroughly morning and night for at least two minutes. Avoid sweet foods and drinks, including fizzy drinks and sparkling wines etc as much as possible between meals and most important of all ensure that you make regular dental appointments so that your dentist can keep a close eye on the condition of your teeth. If they do spot a potential problem they will be able to sort it out quickly before it becomes a major concern.Our dental hygiene Dentist Manchester are always available to discuss best dental hygiene and they will be happy to pass on their professional cleaning advice. If you would like to make an appointment you can call us on 0161 951 7295 or you can contact us by using the online booking form on our Appointments page.