Tips on Oral Care

General Nutrition Tips

Drink tap. If bottled water is your main source of drinking water, you could be missing the decay-preventive benefits of fluoride.

Choose H2O. Sipping soda can increase the rate of harmful acid attacks on tooth enamel.

Don’t curb carbs. Low-carb diets can cause bad breath.

Eat well. A dental-healthy diet can help reduce tooth decay.

Stay fresh. Oral-B Brush-Ups textured teeth wipes can clean your teeth and freshen your breath on-the-go.


Brushing Tips
                                       
Firstly, brush the outer surfaces of the upper and lower teeth. The head of the toothbrush should be placed with the tips of the bristles tilted at an angle towards the gingival margin. Gently move the toothbrush in small scrubbing motion, working on two to three teeth at a time.

Then brush the inner surfaces of teeth in the same way as brushing the outer surfaces

When we brush the inner surfaces of front teeth, we should hold the toothbrush upright using gentle motion scrubbing from the gingival margin towards the crowns of the teeth.

Finally, brush the chewing surfaces of the teeth with the toothbrush moving backward and forward.
In general, the size of a brush head which is the same as the diameter of a one-dollar coin will be suitable for adults.
It is essential that the toothbrush can move freely in your mouth to clean every tooth surface and the bristles are soft so that it does not injure the gums.
Both manual and powered toothbrushes clean the teeth effectively as long as they are used correctly.
If you choose to use an interdental brush or a powered toothbrush, you should consult your dentist first.

Flossing Tips

Toothbrushing cannot clean the adjacent surfaces of teeth. If we want to remove the plaque accumulated on the adjacent tooth surfaces, we must use dental floss daily. Parents or caregivers can assist children or people in need to clean adjacent tooth surfaces by using a floss holder.

Use a piece of dental floss which is approximately 20-25 cm long. Tie both ends to make a loop. Use the thumbs and the forefingers of both hands to hold the floss, leaving about 2 cm of floss in between.
Use a sawing motion; gently slide the floss towards the gingival (gum) margin.
Wrap around one tooth making a "C" shape and gently slide it up and down against the tooth. Then wrap around the adjacent tooth and repeat the up and down motions.

Solutions to common problems encountered when using dental floss

Difficult to control the dental floss:
-The further the distance between the two fingers holding the floss, the more difficult it will be to control it. Therefore, you should keep the distance between the fingers at about 2 cm and you can tighten up the floss when flossing. This will help improve the situation.

Difficult to clean the posterior teeth:
-To clean the adjacent tooth surfaces of posterior teeth, you will need to use the forefingers to control the floss inside the mouth.

Difficulty in sliding the floss into the interdental space:
-This can be caused by the accumulation of calculus. The situation will be improved once the calculus has been removed by scaling. Remember to brush and floss your teeth daily after the calculus has been removed.