Caringbah Dental Care Presents Dental Care Week 2018

Dental Health Week (6 to 12 August) is the Australian Dental Association’s (ADA) major annual oral health promotion event and one that Caringbah Dental Care supports fully.

The aim of the week is to educate Australians on the importance of maintaining good oral health by following four key pieces of advice for oral health.

What are the four pieces of advice?

The ADA’s key messages are simple:

• Brush teeth twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste
• Clean in-between teeth once a day (with floss or interdental brushes)
• Eat a healthy balanced diet and limit sugar intake
• Regularly visit the dentist for check-ups and preventive treatment.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these points from the Caringbah Dental Care perspective.

Brush with fluoride toothpaste

Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush with a small head and flexible neck. Teeth should be cleaned systematically, starting at the back with the toothbrush bristle at the gum line on a 45° angle, brushing gently in circular motion.

Be sure to brush carefully along the inner, outer and chewing surfaces, being careful to tip the toothbrush so you can reach the inner front areas of the teeth, which are often missed.

When you have finished brushing, spit out the toothpaste but don’t rinse with water. Leaving some toothpaste on your teeth gives your teeth extra ongoing protection.

Choose a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Fluoride strengthens teeth, making them more resistant to attacks from sugar and acid. Fluoride can also help remineralise (heal or reverse) early decay.

Unless it’s recommended by your dentist, the general consensus is that you shouldn’t use toothpaste when cleaning the teeth of children under 18 months of age.

Clean in-between teeth

Here’s something you may not know – much of the surface area of your teeth lies between them. And they can get just as dirty, even dirtier, than the outside surfaces.

The ADA recommends:

• Make flossing part of your oral hygiene regimen; at least once a day.
• Ask your dentist to demonstrate the correct flossing technique.
• Ask your dentist if interdental aids will complement your flossing.
• Your children should floss too, start as soon as your child has two teeth that touch

How to floss

The ADA suggests the following flossing technique:

• Wind 45 cm of floss around your middle fingers and grip it tightly between your thumb and index finger.
• With thumb and index close together, gently guide the floss between the teeth. Use a side-to-side motion so that the sides of both teeth are equally cleaned.
• To clean a tooth at the point it meets the gums, curl the floss around the base and move it gently under the gum.

If flossing is difficult, you may consider using floss threader, floss picks, oral irrigators, interdental tips, interdental cleaners, or Zip-rings.

Learn more about dental home tools here

Eat a healthy balanced diet and limit sugar intake

The ADA recommends:

• Limit your sugar intake as it is the single most significant culprit in tooth decay.
• Read the ingredients panel on food products as many have hidden sugars.
• Fluoridated tap water is the best beverage choice.
• Choose teeth friendly foods such as cheese, nuts and vegetables.
• Avoid snacking and grazing
• Chew sugar-free gum after eating.

Diet for healthy teeth

For good dental health eat a variety of foods from each of the five major food groups, including:

• whole grains
• fruits
• vegetables
• lean sources of protein including some meats; dry beans, peas and other legumes
• low-fat and fat-free dairy foods

If you snack, choose healthy food. Foods eaten in meals cause less harm than snacks, as more saliva is released during a meal. Saliva helps sluice foods from the mouth and decreases the effects of acids, which can harm teeth and cause cavities.

Visit Caringbah Dental Care regularly

Regular dental check-ups at Caringbah Dental Care are essential to maintaining good oral health

Dentists can check for problems that you might not see or feel, like early signs of tooth decay and gum disease. So schedule that appointment!

*Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.