Lockdown hygiene tips by Farah

With the lockdown preventing us from visiting your hygienist how can we ensure we are removing as much plaque as possible from home and ensuring we maintain good oral hygiene and prevent gum disease?

The 3 most important steps to keep consistent are:
1. Brush twice a day ideally with an electric toothbrush. Place the toothbrush head on the area where the gum and teeth meet together. Angle 45 degrees into the gum line. Let the brush glide gently with light pressure on each tooth, no scrubbing! Don’t brush straight after acidic foods and drinks, leaving a couple of hours for your saliva to neutralise your mouth to prevent any tooth wear like erosion or abrasion;

2. Use pea sized amount fluoride non abrasive toothpaste This will protect against dental decay and tooth wear. Don’t rinse with water after brushing, spit out the excess only. Leaving some toothpaste behind will allow you to get the benefits from the toothpaste;

3. At least once a day include some sort of cleaning in between teeth too.To floss effectively you wind floss around your middle fingers and work with an inch held tightly between thumb and index finger. You ease in-between the teeth and sweep both sides the teeth a few times gently in a “C” shape curving round the teeth.
To use interdental brushes choose the right size and gently insert in-between the teeth back and forth. Angle or bend the brushes before inserting for ease especially for back teeth. Change the size if needed between different teeth to fit effectively through each space.
Rinse the floss and brushes before moving onto the next area. Throw out the brushes once worn usually after 4-6 days of use.