Dental Hygiene
Nothing rivals the confidence that comes from being completely happy with your smile. Our teeth and mouth, however, are vulnerable to many diseases and there is a lot that can go wrong, causing ill health and deterioration of your teeth.
A clean mouth helps prevent dental disease and a few minutes every day can save unattractive and unhealthy consequences in future years.
Dental hygiene at Cashel Daisley
We recommend that all patients attend our dental hygiene suite in Glasgow for regular cleaning appointments, to ensure that their teeth remain healthy all year round and so we have the chance to spot any problems before they occur.
We will be able to give you advice and treat everything from halitosis gum disease. We will also give you tips and hints on thoroughly cleaning your teeth and gums.
Brushing with an electric toothbrush
You should always brush for at least two minutes first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Remember, the brush itself does most of the work, so you need a different routine compared to a manual brush. With an electric brush, you clean each tooth individually rather than brushing several teeth at once.
Electric method
Place the head of the toothbrush over an individual tooth, keeping the head at a slight angle to ensure the bristles reach down into the gum line. Do not press too hard or scrub, simply let the brush do the work. Rock the toothbrush head back and forth over each tooth.
- Start on your lower teeth first, brush all the outer surfaces – following the above method.
- Brush all the inner surfaces of the lower teeth – following the above method.
- Brush the biting surfaces of the lower teeth using a scrubbing motion. Only when you have finished brushing the bottom teeth should you move to the top teeth.
- Repeat the same procedure for the top teeth.
Changing your toothbrush head
To keep your teeth fit and healthy, you need a fit and healthy toothbrush. Clinical studies have shown a new toothbrush head removes 30% more plaque than one 3 months old.
CHANGE YOUR TOOTHBRUSH HEAD EVERY 3 MONTHS OR WHEN THE BRISTLES BEGIN TO SPLAY.
Don’t ignore bleeding gums
Do not be put off by bleeding from your gums when you brush. Bleeding is your body’s way of saying “brush more”, not “brush less”. If you continue to brush in the way shown, the bleeding will resolve as your gums become healthy again.
Some tips
The most important thing to remember whilst brushing is to have a systematic approach. If you have a system, you never tend to miss any areas.
When brushing upper molars you may find it difficult getting access with your toothbrush and your dentist or hygienist may tell you that you are missing these areas. A handy tip for brushing these teeth is to close your mouth slightly whilst brushing, as this will allow your cheeks more elasticity and give you better access. If you are brushing the right hand side upper molars, then move your lower jaw to the right and when brushing the left hand side upper molars move your lower jaw to the left, whilst closing slightly, this will allow you even better access to get your toothbrush right up to the gum margins of these back teeth.
When brushing the inside of the lower teeth, tilt your chin down look in an elevated mirror and you will be able to see that you are cleaning round the gum line better. Tooth brushing should be done first, then use interdental aids as advised by your dentist or dental hygienist either use floss or TePe interdental brushes, or a combination of both. Finally, clean your tongue at least once a day with a tongue cleaner to promote fresh breath.
Really clean teeth means more than brushing
No matter how well or regularly you brush your teeth, the chances are they’ll never be really clean. That’s because not even the best toothbrush can clean completely between teeth.
The right flossing technique
- Take approximately 18” of floss and wind the ends around the middle fingers. Tighten the floss between the thumb and fore-fingers leaving 1” between them.
- Use a gentle back and forth motion to ease the floss between the teeth. Curve the floss around the tooth to be cleaned and apply an up and down rubbing action.
- Repeat on the adjacent teeth and all upper and lower teeth remembering to keep the floss tight against the tooth. Gently guide the floss down between the teeth and gum until resistance is felt.
- Make sure you pay equal attention to flossing your back teeth.
Interdental brushes
Interdental brushes are considered to be the most effective and easiest method of cleaning interproximal spaces. The fine nylon filaments will remove plaque from around the tooth surface at the gum margin and from around pockets. Look in a mirror and insert the correct diameter brush horizontally 2-3 times into the space. Bending the brush at right angles and guiding it with the forefinger will help improve both the life of the brush and access to the back teeth.
TePe Interdental brushes
Available in eight different sizes:
- XXXX fine – PINK – 0.4mm
- XXX fine – ORANGE – 0.45mm
- XX fine – RED – 0.5mm
- X fine – BLUE – 0.6mm
- Fine – YELLOW – 0.7mm
- Medium – GREEN – 0.8m
- Large – PURPLE – 1.1mm
- X large – GREY – 1.3mm
Single tufted brush
Single tufted brushes are for effective cleaning around the gum margin. They are particularly useful for cleaning in-between the teeth, where a normal toothbrush cannot access easily and are useful for round the back of the last molars, or in between gaps. The recommended method of use is to splay the filaments by gently pushing them against the tooth surface and then ‘sweeping’ under the gum margin.
