Over the past few weeks I have seen numerous patients that are unaware of the basic oral hygiene techniques needed in order to maintain good oral health.

Here at Freshdental we recommend that all our patients brush their teeth and gum line at least twice daily, once at night and one other occasion during the day for at least two minutes.

A lot of our patients brush in the morning but forget to brush at night.  Brushing at night time is the most important time of the day to brush.  It removes the daytime build up of food debris and plaque.  It is important to remember that rinsing after brushing should be avoided in order to leave the fluoride on the teeth for as long as possible.

As well as brushing the teeth and gum line it is important to clean the tongue, either using your toothbrush or a tongue scraper.  This helps to remove some plaque bacteria from the mouth and will help to reduce bad breath (halitosis).

Many people are unaware that brushing alone is not enough to remove plaque from the teeth.  Effective brushing alone removes about two thirds of plaque from the teeth which means one third of plaque remains.  I wonder how many patients get in the shower and only wash two thirds, not many I’m sure, yet so many do not clean between their teeth.

Dental floss or tape and interdental brushes are effective at removing plaque from between the teeth and underneath the gum line and should be used daily as part of a good oral hygiene routine.

It is important to remember that even if you do use all these methods to maintain good oral health it is still important to visit one of the Freshdental dentists regularly to make sure your teeth and mouth remains healthy.

Signing out

Elyse – Therapist