Looking after your teeth and gums doesn’t have to be complicated. Small changes to your daily routine can make a big difference to your oral health, helping to prevent tooth decay, keep your gums healthy and maintain your smile.
But are you brushing for long enough? Should you use an electric toothbrush? And did you know you should spit after brushing rather than rinse?
We caught up with Sam, our Associate Clinical Dental Lead at Quayside Dental Centre in Gloucester, to answer some common questions about oral health and share practical tips to help you look after your teeth and gums at home.
How often should we brush our teeth, and for how long?
We should brush our teeth at least twice daily, last thing before bed and at one other time, ideally in the morning. You should brush for at least 2 minutes each time.
Should we use an electric or manual toothbrush?
You can do a good job brushing with either an electric or manual toothbrush, however an electric brush can be less technique sensitive and can have the perks of built-in pressure sensors & timers! If you are going to use a manual toothbrush, just make sure it has a soft head and you are not scrubbing too hard!
Why is fluoride toothpaste important?
Fluoride in toothpaste helps your teeth remineralise (or reharden) after acid attacks from plaque after sugary foods/drinks. It can even reverse early stages of tooth decay!
Why should we spit rather than rinse after brushing?
We should spit our toothpaste out to make sure we don’t swallow the excess toothpaste, however we do not want to rinse as this will wash away the helpful fluoride we just put on our teeth. We should also not use mouthwash after brushing as this also washes away the fluoride – if you want to use a mouthwash you can do it before brushing or at a different time entirely.
Should we brush before or after breakfast?
Brushing before breakfast helps us remove plaque from night-time and protect our teeth with fluoride before we eat. If you want to brush after breakfast, wait 30 minutes after eating to let your teeth re-harden. Brushing after breakfast can remove food debris stuck in our teeth, so it does not sit there for a long time. The most important thing is brushing twice daily for 2 minutes, with one of these being the last thing before bed.
What are the most common brushing mistakes you see?
The most common mistakes we see are: rinsing after brushing, not brushing for the full 2 minutes, skipping brushing before bed, forgetting to clean the surfaces of the teeth that sit by our tongue or palate, not brushing along the gumline and not using aids to help us clean between our teeth.
How important is cleaning between our teeth?
Very important! You can think of a tooth as having 5 surfaces (biting surface, surface by our tongue/palate, surface by our cheek, and 2 surfaces between the neighboring teeth), if we only use a toothbrush we can only get to 60% of these surfaces. Using something to clean between our teeth (our favorites are Tepe brushes) once daily can clean these surfaces, reducing are risk of tooth decay at these sites as well as gum disease.
What should we do if our gums bleed when brushing?
Gums bleed when they are unhappy. If your gums bleed you should continue to clean them to remove the plaque aiming to make them happy again. If you have concerns, persistent bleeding, swelling or pain contact a dentist for an appointment.
What’s one simple piece of oral health advice you’d like everyone to know?
Spitting without rinsing the toothpaste away – this is something that surprises most people.
Looking after your smile starts at home
As Sam’s advice highlights, good oral health starts with a consistent daily routine. Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, cleaning between your teeth daily and making sure you don’t rinse after brushing are simple steps that can help protect your teeth and gums.
If you have concerns about your oral health, or notice symptoms such as persistent bleeding, swelling or pain, speak to a dental professional for advice.