As the old adage goes, prevention is better than cure.
What we have always emphasised is that no number of visits to the dentist will ever replace good oral hygiene habits. Dental health goes beyond just your teeth. Case in point – a build-up of plaque in the arteries is one of the known causes of coronary heart disease. So not only will good dental hygiene leave you feeling fresh and great, your (whole) body will literally thank you for it.
Here we’ve shared a couple of short instructional videos we think may be useful to some. One relates to tooth flossing and the other about children’ brushing that may be handy for some of us parents out there.
Tip: A quick brush or even a quick rinse is always helpful after that tea, coffee or wine to minimise those stains!
Flossing
1. Start with about 50cm of floss, wind most of the floss around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work with.
2. Holding the floss tautly between your thumbs and index fingers, slide it gently up-and-down between your teeth.
3. Gently curve the floss around the base of each tooth, making sure you go beneath
the gum line. Never snap or force the floss, as this may cut or bruise the delicate gum.
4. Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.
5. To remove the floss, use the same back-and-forth motion to bring the floss up and away from the teeth.
Helping children to brush
1. Place brush along outer gum-line. Wiggle gently back and forth. Repeat for each tooth.
2. Brush inside surface of each tooth, using the wiggling technique in Step 1.
3. Brush the chewing surfaces of the teeth using a back and forth motion.
4. Use the tip of brush to brush behind each front tooth, both top and bottom.
5. Don’t forget to brush your tongue!