Our dentist divulges the best ways to maintain good dental hygiene

Our patients may not at first give much thought to their oral hygiene, but it is imperative to do so if they wish to avoid the multitude of dental problems that can arise when excellent oral hygiene is not met. Good oral hygiene is meant to keep the prevalence of bad bacteria in the mouth under control.

When bad oral bacteria overwhelm the good kind, all sorts of undesirable consequences arise in the mouth. It is the bad bacteria that are the cause of dental problems including gum disease, halitosis and dental decay among others.

The interventions put in place by our qualified dentist in West Byfleet are often the only way to treat conditions with painful and uncomfortable symptoms that can no longer go ignored. But it is not necessary to wait for such undesirable events to occur, for many dental problems can best be avoided by maintaining good oral hygiene.

There are two vital steps to take towards looking after oral health – both are the responsibility of our patients. One is to set up a stringent mouth cleaning regime at home and the other is to ensure every dental health check at our dentist in West Byfleet is kept.

At our Byfleet Dental Boutique, we have an exceptional dentist in West Byfleet offering patients quality dental care carried out with a patient-centred focus.

For those patients who wish to know how to take better care of their oral hygiene, we outline below some of the key elements of a proper oral hygiene plan of action carried out at home.

How to keep on top of one’s oral hygiene

It is a widely-accepted fact that brushing teeth at least twice a day is one of the best ways to promote good oral health. But there is a dentist-recommended way to clean the mouth and an ill-advised way.

Most dental experts would say that using a soft-bristled toothbrush and a fluoride-enriched toothpaste brand are the essentials of good teeth brushing techniques. In addition to this, it is important to use gentle circular motions to target as much of the tooth’s surface area as possible.

Also recommended by our dentist is to continue to brush for at least two minutes, giving adequate attention to each area of the dental arches. The toothbrush needs replacing often too – after every three months is the common guideline observed.

Scraping the tongue and flossing are the two other obligations that round up the at-home mouth cleaning process. Our dentist can provide further instruction on how to ensure these are carried out successfully and which tools are best for an individual patient’s needs.

Professional oral health checks are an indispensable part of maintaining oral health. This is because, while as necessary as at-home oral cleaning is, it is not enough to secure total dental hygiene for the long term. There is always the possibility that the patient is not diligent enough in their tooth brushing and flossing which means they will, at some stage, require a dentist to carry out a deep dental cleaning procedure.

Do you have any questions or concerns about your oral hygiene routine? Why not have these answered by our dentist at the surgery. We are happy to find a time and date for your visit; simply give our front desk a call.

What are the best ways to improve dental hygiene?

There are certain daily behaviours a patient can observe that guarantees improved oral hygiene and a cleaner and healthier mouth. It is excellent oral hygiene that forms the best protection against all sorts of dental problems and diseases. Poor oral health conditions like dental decay, gum disease, cavities and chronic bad breath all stem from poor oral hygiene.

By looking after their dental hygiene, our patients can keep unwanted dental concerns at bay. But this would mean taking positive and proactive action towards oral health before they experience any type of worrying symptoms.

Our dental practitioners have long known that many poor oral health issues are preventable. Bad oral bacteria are left to riot when oral hygiene is neglected. Seeing that the cause of numerous dental problems, like cavities for example, arise when bad bacteria in the mouth outweigh the good kind, it certainly pays to maintain good oral hygiene practices.

One of the first steps to observe when attempting to restore mouth health is to seek proper professional dental care from our qualified dentist in West Byfleet. At Byfleet Dental Boutique, we have a well-experienced and capable dentist in West Byfleet dedicated to offering quality dental treatments and services with a patient-first approach.

Fortunately for patients, there are easy ways to apply good oral hygiene techniques to secure the health and function of their mouths. While some of the techniques like brushing teeth twice a day and flossing are non-negotiables for a cleaner mouth, there are other lesser-known techniques that are worth mentioning.

Our dentist in West Byfleet takes a look at some of the best practice techniques patients may not be aware of, that help achieve good oral hygiene.

Dentist-recommended tips to maintain oral hygiene

Yes, it is essential not to skip out on brushing teeth twice a day; but what is not commonly known is that there is a right and wrong way to brush teeth. The right way would be to stick to two minutes of brushing time using a soft-bristled toothbrush, use gentle circular motions, scraping the tongue as well and to replace the toothbrush every three months or so.

Drinking water helps improve oral hygiene. In the same way that saliva helps to wash away leftover bits of food, so does drinking water get rid of food particles that result in the build-up of cavity-causing plaque and tartar.

A healthy diet can easily offer a natural defence against unwanted dental problems. Cavities and tooth loss are triggered by an over-abundance of bad bacteria in the mouth. By adding plenty of crunchy fruit and vegetables to the diet, a patient can counteract the disastrous effects of sugar in the mouth. Another way this type of diet is beneficial to dental health is that it promotes the production of saliva in the mouth which is required to lower the level of bad oral bacteria.

Patients wondering why they should care about their dental health should know that, in addition to avoiding the pain and discomfort resulting from dental problems, good oral health plays an instrumental role in supporting overall health and good quality of life. If your dental hygiene needs professional attention, please get in touch with our front desk team at our dental boutique so that we can arrange an appointment for you at your convenience.

Reasons to cultivate dental health

When we ask our patients at Byfleet Dental Boutique why they think dental health is important, the common answer is - to keep their smile healthy and happy and bright. While this is without doubt a good answer, ask our dentist in West Byfleet the same question and the answer looks a bit different.

For our dentist in West Byfleet, excellent dental health has positive implications for overall health; that is, physical health and mental wellbeing. The condition of a patient’s teeth and gums can be quite telling when deciding what the patient’s general health is like. Upon carrying out a physical oral health check, our dentist in West Byfleet can tell if a patient has diabetes or if there is an increased likelihood of heart disease and related complications.

The ability to glean information about a patient’s health just by examining teeth and gums supports the long-held view by our dental experts that oral health has a direct relation to general health. In this post, we outline how some of the common dental complaints like gum disease can trigger negative consequences for the rest of the body.

How poor oral health issues impact general health

To understand how dental health can have an impact on general health, it will help to remember that the mouth is connected to the body and provides an entry-way for food to reach the digestive system, from where nutrients extracted can be dispatched to various parts of the body.

Aiding and abetting the body’s nutritional needs can be seen as one of the main aims of a well-functioning mouth. Should a patient experience a problem with eating, this can call into question how well the body is fed the nourishment it needs to function properly and to remain strong to fend off illness and disease.

The link between dental disease, say gum disease and the increased risk of unwanted medical conditions like heart disease has everything to do with the overabundance of bad oral bacteria in the mouth. The imbalance of bacteria in favour of the bad kind in the mouth is created when oral hygiene is neglected. It is these harmful pathogens that lead to the development of gum disease.

The problem with these disease-causing pathogens is that they are not confined to just causing mayhem in the mouth; they can deftly enter the bloodstream from where they can get to vulnerable parts of the body. Medical studies have found evidence of oral pathogens like Streptococcus gordonii, responsible for causing periodontitis, in the blood vessels of the heart where they increase the risk of blood clots.

Gum disease offers another worrying concern for pregnant women. This poor oral health condition raises the risk of premature births and low birth weights.

So it seems that taking deliberate care of your teeth and gums is equally beneficial to overall health as it is to dental health. To continue keeping your mouth functioning well and disease-free, have your teeth routinely examined by our dentist. To arrange an appointment, simply give our reception desk a call.