• Implementing a basic oral hygiene regime will prolong the life of your teeth and reduce the risk of needing costly remedial treatment.
• Brush your teeth twice daily for two minutes each time (30 seconds for each quadrant) ensuring that you brush all surfaces of your teeth.
• Clean the spaces between your teeth with either floss or interdental brushes.
• Take care when eating sugary food or playing contact sports.
• If you are experiencing dental pain while we are closed or you have not previously registered with us, please contact NHS 111 Online for further advice

Few of us enjoy visiting the dentist, especially when the news is bad, but taking a few simple precautions will prolong the life of your teeth and reduce the risk that you will need costly remedial treatment.

 

• Brush twice daily (last thing at night and on at least one other occasion) with a fluoride toothpaste containing a minimum of 1350ppm of fluoride. Spit out after brushing but do not rinse the toothpaste off so that the fluoride concentration is maintained on your teeth.
• If you are a known ‘high risk’ patient for tooth decay, then use a daily fluoride mouth-rinse at a time separate to brushing. Rinse with 10ml for 1 minute then spit out and do not wash away with water.
• Reduce the frequency (how often) and amount (how much) of sugary foods and drinks and avoid sugary foods and drinks at bedtime. If you do consume sugary food or drinks, then rinse your mouth with water straight afterwards and do not brush your teeth for at least 30 minutes - the sugar temporarily softens the enamel on your teeth and brushing straight afterwards can accelerate the erosion of the soft enamel.
• Use floss or interdental brushes (such as TePes) after brushing to keep the spaces between your teeth healthy and clear of debris.
• If your gums bleed when you brush, it could be an early sign of gum disease so make an appointment to have it checked straight away
• Do not Smoke. If you do smoke then try to quit or cut down as much as possible. Smoking puts you at a higher risk of periodontal (gum disease) and mouth cancer.

 

If you can take these small measures to maintain a healthy mouth at home, then it will be beneficial for you and help to reduce your risk to oral diseases such as dental caries (tooth decay), periodontal disease (gum disease) and oral cancer.

 

*Tips based on guidelines from Delivering Better Oral Health (Public Health England 2014)

 

Contact Sports

If you play any sport which involves physical contact with opponents, either as an intrin=sic element of the sport (e.g. boxing, rugby) or where the risk exists (e.g. football) then you should wear a sportsguard to protect your teeth. It's a far cheaper option than remedial work on broken or lost teeth and modern mouthguards are very effective at absorbing traumatic forces and preventing damage to your teeth.

 

Inexpensive 'Boil & bite' sportsguards are available at many sports shops. These are fitted by being immersed in boiling water and then placed in the mouth. By biting down on the mouthguard, the softened material moulds to the contours of the mouth and the mouthguard is then immersed in cold water to 'set' it.

 

However, a better option is a custom made sportsguard. These are more expensive than 'boil and bite' but are specially manufactured from impressions taken from your mouth and so a good fit is guaranteed and protection maximised. We will be happy to give you further advice on sportsguards if you ask during your routine examination.