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Oral health is the practice of keeping your mouth clean and free from disease, decay and other problems by regularly brushing and cleaning your teeth and gums. Good oral hygiene is an important part of personal care. It can help prevent tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath and tooth loss.
Poor oral health can affect your ability to eat, drink and communicate. It can als affect your self-esteem, leaving you to feeling unhappy.
It is important to visit your dentist regularly, this is usually every 6 months unless advised otherwise.
The rising costs of dental care can sometimes prevent people from making an appointment. Although limited some dental practices do still accept new NHS patients. You can find dentists that are accepting NEW dental patients by using the NHS search postcode facility at 'Find a Dentist'
Teeth Talk Girl Oral Health Routine in steps 1, 2 & 3
Good Oral Health and Hygiene is reliant on a consistent routine. We can have an impact on our teeth by taking care with the steps with which you'll already be familiar. There are additional steps that can be added to your oral routine based on your individual needs. We share some healthy swaps that can help take care of your mouth and also a couple of additional steps that may interest you.
Healthy Swaps for Good Oral Health
We probably know that we should not have too many foods or drinks that are high in saturated fat, salt and sugar such as chocolate, cakes, biscuits, pastry, crisps and fried chips. If you include these, try to keep portion sizes small and limit the frequency.
Implementing food swaps and limiting your intake of sugary food and drink can help retain good oral health.
Lowering alcohol intake and stopping smoking can also help. Alcohol has been linked to an increase in oral cancers and smoking can lead to mouth cancer, gum disease, bad breath and stained teeth.
Breakfast
Try swapping sugary cereal to eggs, wheat biscuits or wholemeal toast.
Break
Try swapping snacks, cakes and crisps to fruit, plain rice cakes, bagels, or plain popcorn.
Hydration
Drink water to limit sugar rich drinks or those with artificial sweeteners.
Are you trying these to help with your oral hygeine?
Flossing
Flossing isn't just for dislodging food wedged between you teeth. Regular flossing may also reduce gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath by removing plaque that forms along the gum line.
It's best to floss before brushing your teeth.
Take 30cm to 45cm of floss or dental tape and grasp it so you ave 3cm or 4cm of floss taut between your hands.
Slip the floss or dental tape between the teeth and into the area between your teeth and gums, as far as it will go.
Curve the floss into a C-shape and then gently slide it up and down each tooth to clean it and remove any food and plaque.
Mouth Wash
Mouth Wash should never replace daily brushing and flossing. Brushing removes plaque and food particles from the surface of the teeth, while flossing reaches between teeth to clean areas that brushes can’t access. Mouthwash can’t physically remove debris or plaque. Instead, it should be seen as an added layer of protection that complements your oral hygiene routine.
If you maintain excellent oral hygiene—brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and visiting your dentist regularly—you may not need mouthwash at all. Pro Health Dental
Using a mouthwash that contains fluoride can help prevent tooth decay.
Do not use mouthwash (even a fluoride one) straight after brushing your teeth as it will wash away the concentrated fluoride in the toothpaste left on your teeth.
If you use mouthwash choose a different time to use mouthwash, such as after lunch.
Don't eat or drink for 30 minutes after using a fluoride mouthwash.
While it's not essential for everyone, mouthwash can be particularly helpful in certain cases. Those with Gingivitis or early gum disease, with high cavity risk, orthodontic patients or those with dry mouth may benefit. For further advise see here or speak to your dental practitioner.
Oil Pulling
Oil Pulling is a popular natural remedy for detoxing the mouth and improving oral health. Oil pulling is a natural folk remedy from India that involves swishing oil around the mouth. Because of the purported health benefits of oil pulling, some people are learning how to oil pull with coconut oil or other oils.
Oil pulling involves swishing oil around the mouth. It is like using mouthwash, but for a longer period.
Although it does not replace brushing, flossing and other oral care methods, it is easy to fit oil pulling into an oral health routine. If you'd like to give Oil Pulling a try follow the steps below:
Place a tablespoon of coconut oil in the mouth. If you don't like the taste of coconut oil you can use either sesame or olive oil.
Sitting upright or standing, swish the oil around the mouth for 15 to 20 minutes.
If keeping the oil inside the mouth is hard, start with 5 or 10 minutes and slowly increase the time. It is essential to keep swishing and breathe through the nose.
Once done, spit the oil into the bin - spitting it into the sink or toilet can lead to clogging. Do not swallow the oil.
Most guides suggest brushing the teeth immediately afterward. Others say it is better to wait a bit to promote the retention of good bacteria and the rebalancing of the oral microbiome. Use a different toothbrush after oil pulling to the one used for daily teeth cleaning. For further information about the benefits of oil pulling see here
Tongue Scraping
Tongue Scraping Debris, bacteria, and dead cells can build up on your tongue over time. This can lead to bad breath and have a negative impact on your overall oral health. Tongue scraping removes this build up. Tongue scraping can help reduce bad breath, remove bacteria, improve your sense of taste and the overall improve the appearance of your tongue. Daily scraping can help remove the sometimes white coating and prevent it from returning. See our guide for tongue scraping below:
Stand in front of a mirror, open your mouth, and stick our your tongue
Gently set the rounded end of the tongue scraper at the back of your tongue
Gently touch the scraper to your tongue. Slowly pull it forward toward the tip of your tongue. You should never push the scraper from the tip of your tongue back. Always go from the back of the tongue to the tip
After each scrape, use running water to remove debris from the scraper
Repeat unti you've scraped the entire surface of your tongue. One or two scrapes across the same area is usually enough
Wash the tongue scraper with warm water and soap, dry and store in a clean dry area.
The entire process usual takes less than one minute. You should be mindful of how much pressure you're applying. You want to be gentle enough to avoid harming your taste buds or breaking the skin but firm enough to scrape excess debris. When in doubt, start soft and gradually increase the pressure. Source Oakthorpe Dental see here
Water Pick
Water Flossser/Pick is a device that aims a stream of water at the teeth. It's also called an oral irrigator or a dental water jet. A water flosser can help remove pieces of food from between teeth. It also can take plaque off teeth. Using a water flosser can be helpful for people who have braces, other orthodontics or dental work that makes it hard to use dental floss. A water flosser also may be useful for people who have trouble flossing by hand with dental floss.
To lower the risk of contamination with bacteria if you use a water flosser, don't share it with anyone else. Source Mayo clinic see here
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