preventive dentistry - oral hygiene

Regular dental hygiene visits (scale and polish) helps keep your teeth and gums healthy and your smile whiter. Scaling removes the hard tartar build up which cannot be removed by brushing alone. Stains from coffee, tea, cigarettes or red wine are removed with the polishing procedure.

If you place importance on your oral hygiene by visiting your dentist or hygienist at regular intervals and following a daily oral hygiene regime, there is a greater probability you will keep your teeth into old age. Catching problems before there is too much damage can effectively be corrected and cost less.

If you don’t have regular dental hygiene visits, calculus or tartar (calcified deposits on the teeth) forms by the presence of saliva, debris, minerals and plaque. Its rough surface provides an ideal medium for plaque formation and bacterial growth. This causes inflammation of gums and can lead to gum recession. Calculus also absorbs unaesthetic stains far more easily than natural teeth.

Calculus can form both above and below the gum line. Supragingival calculus (above the gum line) is the visible deposit that forms on the surface of the teeth. Subgingval calculus (below the gum line) forms in pockets between teeth and gums. It is more harmful as it facilitates faster growth of plaque.

Homecare hygiene to keep your teeth and gums healthy

• Teeth should be brushed with a toothbrush at least twice per day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste (ideally after every meal)
• Dental floss or other form of interdental cleaners should be used every night before bedtime to clean between the teeth as brushing alone only cleans 60% of the tooth surfaces.
• Your tongue should be cleaned with a toothbrush or tongue scraper daily to rid of volatile sulfur compounds which causes halitosis
• Fluoride mouth rinses help protect the teeth from tooth decay and root sensitivity
• Antibacterial mouth rinses help keep the gums healthy
• Mouthwashes can help to freshen breath and dislodge any food debris
• Bedtime is the most important time to carry out oral hygiene procedures