Taking care of your teeth and gums doesn’t have to take up a lot of time.
Life, it seems, just gets busier and busier and, as we rush about our daily lives, whether working or looking after the children, it is almost inevitable that some things fall by the wayside to make room.
Usually, the things that go first are those that don’t seem to need our immediate attention. One of these may well be our oral health care. Whilst most of us will still, at least, give our teeth a cursory brushing morning and night, often this is done largely because it makes our mouths feel fresher rather than due to any concerns about our oral health.
Decay and Gum Disease
Often, it is not until we experience pain caused by dental decay that we suddenly start to take our dental care seriously again but other problems may also have been building without us being necessarily aware of them. A case in point is gum disease, which is barely noticeable in its very early stages but will eventually cause sore and bleeding gums and, at an advanced stage, may even cause tooth loss.
Although we have the necessary skills at Beau Monde Dental Care to treat these problems, the reality is that both are easily preventable through taking good care of our teeth at home. This should of course, be combined with check ups at your local Bristol dentist so that any developing problems can be spotted easily.
Quick dental care
Although you should visit our dental practice at least twice yearly, and more if advised by one of our dentists, there are a number of things which you can do to take good care of your teeth and which will only take up a minute or two of your day.
Food – Make the right choices. We all know that sugar is bad for our teeth so, spend that extra minute, when shopping, to choose a healthier diet and reduce or eliminate sugar from your shopping basket.
One other food tip which is worth considering is to eat a small amount of cheese after a meal as this is believed to re-balance the acids in our mouth to their natural state. However, you should also be aware of the calorie intake so please be sensible with this!
Mouthwashes – Mouthwashes are useful though perhaps not as much as advertisers would have us believe. As a supplementary practice they can help to rid the mouth of some of the bacteria associated with gum disease though using these should not be a substitute for proper care.
One useful tip which is easy to do though is to swill water around your mouth after a meal. This will help to dislodge any food particles that have become stuck between the teeth. This can help especially if you are unable to brush your teeth for some time afterwards.
Brushing – For brushing to be fully effective, there are two criteria that it should follow. Firstly, the toothbrush should be no older than three months as the bristles become less effective if they are worn. Secondly, set a timer, perhaps via an app on your phone. This should be set for 2 minutes whilst you brush your teeth. Many of us have heard this advice and probably believe that we do brush for two minutes. If you time yourself though, you may well be surprised at how long two minutes is and we think that many may be a little shocked at the results!
Floss – Flossing is perhaps the one thing that most people don’t do which would benefit their oral health very significantly. If you find it difficult to do, please do talk to one of our friendly dentists who will be able to offer advice.
These few simple things, combined with regular dental check ups at Beau Monde Dental Care, will ensure that you give your teeth the best chance of serving you well for many years to come.