Oral Hygiene

As part of any thorough oral hygiene routine, regular trips to the dentist are essential to remove any tough plaque and get a thorough, professional clean. Our hygienist services is one of our most important areas providing the essential treatment for removing plaque and tartar (sometimes called calculus) from your teeth. Our Hygienists use scaling and polishing instruments to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth. These polishing instruments will also removed staining from coffee, tobacco or red wine making it more difficult for plaque to build up on your teeth.

Brushing

Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and a small strip of fluoride toothpaste. When you brush your teeth, move the brush in small, circular motions to reach food particles that may be under your gum line. Hold the toothbrush at an angle and brush slowly and carefully, covering all areas between teeth and the surface of each tooth. It will take you several minutes to thoroughly brush your teeth. Brush up on the lower teeth, down on the upper teeth and the outside, inside and chewing surface of your entire front and back teeth. Brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth before you rinse.

Brush your teeth four times daily to avoid the accumulation of food particles and plaque:

• In the morning after breakfast
• After lunch or right after school
• After dinner
• At bedtime

As soon as the bristles start to wear down or fray, replace your toothbrush. This is usually every 3 months. Do not swallow toothpaste; rinse your mouth thoroughly with water after you finish brushing. It is important to carefully floss and brush daily for optimal oral hygiene.

Flossing

For areas between the teeth that a toothbrush can't reach, dental floss is used to remove food particles and plaque. Dental floss is a thin thread of waxed nylon that is used to reach below the gum line and clean between teeth. It is very important to floss between your teeth every day.

Pull a small length of floss from the dispenser. Wrap the ends of the floss tightly around your middle fingers. Guide the floss between all teeth to the gum line, pulling out any food particles or plaque. Unwrap clean floss from around your fingers as you go, so that you have used the floss from beginning to end. Don’t forget to also floss behind all of your back teeth.

Floss at night to make sure your teeth are squeaky clean before you go to bed. When you first begin flossing, your gums may bleed a little. If the bleeding does not go away after the first few times, let a staff member know at your next appointment.

We also recommend that any effective oral hygiene routine should include a system of regular check-up appointments with your dentist or hygienist. If it’s been a while since you checked in, contact our friendly team to arrange a consultation at our Deakin dental practice.