Writing is not my favourite way to educate. It means I can’t demonstrate how to brush. I can’t show you what areas you’re missing or where you may be brushing to hard. When you come to see us, we take the time to customize our care and show you how to keep your mouth healthy. Here I will share with you some advice of which I find many people are unaware.
Brush twice a day
Of course you’ve heard of that but do you? If you only brush in the morning, did you know that greatly increases the chance of getting cavities? You’re leaving an all night buffet in your mouth for the bacteria! Brushing at night to remove the food that hides in crevices is just one way of getting fewer cavities. You will also wake up with fresher breath!
Floss
So you brush every night and morning but you still have bad breath and cavities. Do you floss? Your goal with floss is to get between the tooth and the gum. All this is to get rid of food for bacteria that cause decay and bad breath. Don’t forget to floss behind the last tooth and by the side of any tooth with a space beside it. As well, pull your floss over your tongue to scrape off bacteria.
Snacking
So the goal is to give the bacteria less to “eat”. Cavity causing bacteria use the food in our mouths to grow and multiply. As a waste product, they “pee” out acid which is what causes cavities. So if you snack a lot, you will increase your chance of getting cavities. Bacteria don’t discriminate. Healthy snacks can still lead to cavities. So if your graze all day you have a higher risk of decay.
Sipping
Sipping is a very common cause of cavities. Do you know somebody who always has a mug of coffee on their desk or in their car that they sip at all day? If there is milk, cream or sugar in the coffee it can cause a lot of cavities. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have cream or sugar in your coffee, just don’t sip at it for hours. Try to drink it within 20 minutes and with meals. The rest of the time, just drink black coffee or tea or water. That means no lemon in your water if you’re planning to sip it.
If you’re curious to know more, please check out my “how to brush your teeth” video on Instagram or YouTube. For your own personalized care instructions, please reach out to us to reserve an appointment.
I hope these tips help you and that you found this easy to understand. if you have any questions, we are ready to help you at silverdental@rogers.com.