5 Ways To Step Up Your Oral Care

Want a winning smile? Follow these tips from Oral-B Dentist Dr Chris Ho

Having a charming smile can make you feel better about yourself. If you practice good oral hygiene, you’re more likely to have whiter, more attractive teeth as well as fresh breath. Being able to smile with confidence is important not only at work but in your personal life too.

1) Avoid foods that lead to tooth and gum decay

An essential part of practicing good oral care is removing (or reducing) sugary and starchy foods from your diet. Both sugar and starch easily stick to your teeth and can cause decay. These foods, such as sweets, bread, sugary coffee drinks and especially soft drinks, are also high in carbohydrates (often the same foods contain both sugar and starch). If you reduce these foods from your daily diet, your teeth and gums will have a decreased chance of decay.

2) Brush for a full 2 minutes, twice a day

We recommend gently brushing for a full two minutes twice a day using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Try timing yourself – many people think they’re brushing for two minutes when in fact it’s much less. The Oral-B Triumph with Smart Guide has a brush head and handle that are embedded with microchips that communicate with the wireless display unit. This helps guide you to each quadrant of the mouth and signal when you are brushing too hard. The Smart Guide encourages you to brush thoroughly, gently and for the dentist-recommended two minutes. As dentists, we see a major difference in patients utilising this kind of innovative technology. Using a power toothbrush with a rotating oscillating action will greatly assist in removing plaque and food debris, so something to think about if you’re currently a manual brush user.

3) Floss every day

The old adage that you only floss the teeth you want to keep holds true. Dental plaque can cause cavities if it’s left between teeth. When mixed with sugar, the bacteria that live in plaque can start the process of tooth decay; this is why it’s bad to leave plaque in your mouth. We recommend flossing daily in addition to brushing to greatly increase the removal of plaque between the teeth.

4) Organise recurrent and regular check-ups with your dentist

Prevention is better than the cure. Regular cleanings and check-ups by a dentist help prevent significant dental problems. Don’t wait until you have a toothache to schedule an appointment. Dentists recommend you have a regular cleaning done every six months. Professional cleaning will remove the plaque that can develop, despite regular brushing and flossing and in difficult-to-reach areas missed during daily bushing.

5) Drink more water, limit the intake of acidic drinks

Limit acidic drinks like soft drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices. These are not only high in sugar but contain acids that soften tooth material and dissolve the minerals in tooth enamel, causing holes or erosion. Drinking more water reduces the acid that causes tooth decay and helps keep the mouth clean.