The Best Tips For Loving Your Teeth!


ADA Dental Health Week 1-7 August 2022

 

Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day

Did you know that only 50% of Aussies brush their teeth twice daily! In fact Australia is Ranked #3 for countries with the worst Oral Hygiene, coming closely behind the Philippines and India. Nearly half of all 6 year old children in Australia are currently suffering with dental decay. The Average Australian will suffer with serious decay in at least 10 teeth by the time they are 39! Brushing your teeth after breakfast in the morning, not only clears away the plaque from your first meal, it removes the bacteria which accumulates in the mouth whilst asleep. This bacteria, when mixed with sugars from food breaks down your enamel and begins to eat away at your healthy tooth structure. After eating all day, the most important thing to do is brush away that plaque build up to reduce the significant risk of decay!

 

Do Not Eat, Drink or Rinse After Brushing

After brushing with fluoride toothpaste it is essential that we do not rinse, rather spit the excess out and leave the remaining toothpaste on the teeth. This has been proven to strengthen teeth against decay by more than 27% than rinsing after brushing. Much like rinsing, eating and drinking after brushing defeats the purpose of brushing the teeth entirely. Fluoride actually reduces the acid on the teeth which oral bacteria can create, this is why it is so important we keep as much toothpaste residue on the tooth surface as possible.

 

Floss The Teeth You Want To Keep

Only 25% of Australia currently flosses between their teeth! Over 88% of all dental decay is found between the teeth. Did you know that as soon as a child has two teeth which touch, that is when flossing should begin, this is often around the ages of 2-3 years old. Sometimes when the gums are irritated or inflamed they tend to bleed whilst flossing. This is okay! The bleeding is your gums way of showing bacteria is beneath them, by flossing you are removing the bacteria. With time the gums will heal and the bleeding will subside.

 

Consider How Many Teaspoons Of Sugar Are In Your Diet

The maximum recommended amount of sugar for adults per day is only six teaspoons. Did you know there is over nine teaspoons of sugar in one can of coke alone, that is 1.5 times more than the recommended amount! There is just under two and a half teaspoons of sugar in an apple, so the next time you find your self reaching for that can of coke, try the healthy and natural alternative, a nice juicy low in sugar apple! Sugar content is so crucial to be aware of in children, not only does it affect oral health, but overall health too. High sugar intake can lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Whitening Your Pearly Whites

Unfortunately contrary to popular beliefs, a lot of supermarket at home teeth whitening agents are not worth the money. In fact, products such as whitening toothpaste actually cause more damage and sensitivity to healthy teeth. Due to the abrasive nature of these whitening toothpastes, tooth structure can be worn away, the only way to fix this is with a filling, sadly we cannot grow it back once its gone. Another popular fad is the use of purple colour correcting toothpaste, unfortunately the only product clinically proven to whiten teeth is hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is only safe when there is no way it can touch any soft tissues, this is why it is always best to seek advice from a health professional.

The Importance Of Dental        X-Rays

Did you know that over 80% of decay can be missed without the use of dental X-Rays. This is why it is so vital that you have close up x-rays taken of each side of the mouth every 2 years. Dentists cannot see through your teeth! In fact, dentists are only able to see the shadows of decay usually when the hole is too far gone and the tooth will require extensive treatment to be saved. Dental x-rays are extremely safe and low in radiation to ensure patient safety! Dental x-rays give out 0.005 Millisieverts of radiation, did you know that is only about the same as a day in the sun! The truth is that most of your other daily activities will provide you with much more radiation than dental bitewing x-rays.

Get Your Pets Involved

Did you know that an estimated 80% of dogs and 70% of cats will suffer with oral health diseases by the time they are the age of 3. Pets are not able to express when they are in pain in the same capacity as humans, and we all know how intense dental pain can be. Serious dental disease can be present despite no identifiable warning signs. With some patience and the right products you and mans best friend can be on the way to the perfect oral hygiene journey! As with humans prevention is always better than restoration! Most pet owners still believe the old wives tale, that a bone can clean a dogs teeth just as effectively as a brush, unfortunately this is not the case. 9/10 times a dog will present with broken teeth risking infection after chewing hard treats.

6 Monthly Check Ups

Oral health professionals find that  6 months is the safest length of time between check up appointments, that way they can diagnose things such as, oral cancer, gum disease, and dental decay before it is too late! As we say at ADC be preventive not reactive, preventing decay in the first place is much more effective than fillings and other invasive procedures, and ultimately much nicer on the hip pocket! Not only are check ups important but the removal of tartar/calculus (hardened plaque) is also very important too. As plaque builds around the teeth and hardens the gums recede around it, once gum structure is lost is cannot be replaced without serious grafting surgeries, this is why it is so important for us to maintain the smiles we have!

 

Most Importantly – SMILE!

When you smile the world smiles around you. Love your teeth show them off with the happiest and brightest way to do so. Smiling actually can boost your immune system and help you live on average 7 years longer! Your Smile will always be the first thing anyone notices about you, which is why it is so important to take good care of it. To top it off, smiling lowers your blood pressure and can even reduce pain! Now that is something to smile about!

 

 

We also offer after hours appointments and online bookings for your convenience. Trying to get the family to the dentist can be a real balancing act. We understand that busy smiles have busy schedules, which is why we offer late evening appointments every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and  are also open Saturday’s for your convenience. Being able to book online is also a great advantage for shift workers and night owls. We look forward to seeing your smile.