Free Advice

FREE Dental Health Help & Advice

How Can I Stay Healthy?

Brush and floss your teeth and gums thoroughly every day.
You can use disclosing tablets at home to assess how good you are.
Let two and a half hours go by with your mouth empty after eating or drinking.
This gives saliva a chance to put the minerals back into the teeth. These minerals come out of the tooth every time we eat or drink.
Use a fluoride toothpaste.
A pea sized amount on the brush is enough.
Come to see us regularly for a Dental Health Review.
Our Dental Nurses are responsible for helping our patients to learn how to achieve dental health. Where are you now? Where could you be? Let us help you get there!

Tooth Enamel

Did you know that during eating or drinking enamel softens?

So if we brush straight away after eating the enamel wears away faster.
Damaging wear of tooth enamel can become a problem for people by leading to sensitive teeth.

We advise ways to avoid problems of excessive enamel wear:-

Give the saliva time to re-harden the enamel - two and a half hours minimum with an empty mouth.
Clean your teeth thoroughly daily with brush and floss sweeping the brush from the gum onto the tooth - Don't rinse out the paste, just spit, to let the fluoride work on the enamel for longer. (Use disclosing tablets to check your standards of cleaning).
Time the cleaning for just before the first eating or drinking of the day when the enamel is at its hardest.

How do I know if I am at risk?

Look for grooves at the necks of the teeth.
Look for the enamel becoming glossy or shiny.
Look for the enamel appearing to 'melt' away.
Ask us if you are unsure.

Disclosing

Crunch up a disclosing tablet, making a juice with your saliva and swish it around all areas of your mouth. Rinse away any excess.
Look into a mirror and look for any blue/pink remaining on the teeth and gums, look especially near the gum margins and between the teeth.
Remove all colour from the teeth using your toothbrush, interproximal brush, and floss etc. Make sure you clean right down to the gum margin around each tooth.
Remove the dental plaque totally like this once every day, using disclosing tablets frequently to check the quality of your cleaning.

Tooth Brushing

Choose a toothbrush that suits you. Some guidelines are : small/medium head, medium texture nylon bristles.
Brush the plaque off teeth and gums effectively every day to keep the gums healthy.
When brushing, start with the brush on the gum margin, then "roll" the brush from the gum to the end of the tooth. Roll down from the upper teeth and up from the lower teeth.
Children need help to brush until at least the age of eight. for most parents brushing from behind the child is the easiest position to see and reach all areas of the childs mouth.

Toothbrushes

There are a wide range of brushes to suit every individual. For general cleaning we advise a small headed brush with medium nylon bristles.
Childrens brushes vary in size, shape and colour to suit specific target groups - Baby brushes with small handles for 0 - 3 years. Cartoon character brushes for 3 years and over.
For cleaning between the teeth we recommend an end tuffted brush which enables you to reach into small crevices. It has a slim handle and is also suitable for wearers of orthodontic appliances.
Spiral brushes are available for cleaning medium sized spaces and can be bought with replacement heads.
Denture brushes have extra thick long bristles which can reach awkward or hard to reach areas, on the inside of dentures.

Difficulty Gripping?

Here are some simple devices which may help you carry out a thorough toothbrushing routine.

Bicycle handle grip. Enlarges the brush held in with tape.
Hollow plastic or foam ball. Slides on easily onto brush.
Adapted nailbrush for cleaning dentures. Suction pads have been secured. to grip the brush to a sink.

Children's Information : How To Brush and Disclose

Clean your teeth and gums with your favourite fluoride toothpaste.
Chew and crunch the tablet and swish the liquid around your teeth and gums.
Rinse out the liquid left in your mouth.
Use a plastic mirror to look in your mouth. If plaque is left around your teeth and gums, the tablet will stain it either Red or Blue.
Look for the areas next to the gum and inbetween the teeth.
Using a dry brush, remove all the coloured plaque.
Check with your mirror to see if all the dye has gone.
Now all the plaque has been removed.

To work towards the Green Dental Plan you need to:-

Brush and floss your teeth and gums daily.
Have long gaps of time with an empty mouth – at least two and a half hours with out any food or drink to let your saliva do its natural work of keeping the tooth hard.
Use a fluoride toothpaste.
Come and see us when your dentist or hygienist advises.

To book appointments, etc, telephone 01792 653826.

E-mail: mail@manor-road-dentists.co.uk.