Adults
Brushing Use a soft tooth brush and fluorinated tooth paste. Brush your teeth twice a day, in the morning before breakfast and in the evening before you go to bed. Use a soft toothbrush and toothpaste containing fluoride. Do not brush with a horizontal “back and forth” scrubbing motion, as this tends to damage the teeth and gums. Use circular motions, which just gently extend to touch the gums. Remember that the teeth have three surfaces you can access with the toothbrush (facing the cheeks, facing the tongue, and facing the opposite row of teeth). All these 3 surfaces need to be carefully cleaned. Brushing your teeth correctly is difficult. The quality of the cleaning is of utmost importance. Brushing more frequently does not compensate for cleaning the teeth poorly, and you may cause damage to the teeth and gums by brushing more then twice a day, or by having a poor brushing technique. Brushing should last at least 2-3 minutes. Get instructions from your dentist, who for example can use a dye, which stains areas that have not been properly cleaned. By brushing away the dye you can learn the correct movements.
Dental tape or floss Your oral hygiene routine is not complete without cleaning between the teeth, which can not be achieved even with an optimal tooth brushing technique. Dental floss is the most effective tool for this purpose. However, it is not enough to simply slide the dental floss between the teeth. Every space between the teeth is bordered by 2 tooth surfaces, which must both be cleaned. This is achieved by pulling the dental floss both forwards, while cleaning the side of one tooth, followed by pulling it backwards while cleaning the other tooth surface. If you have problems handling the dental floss try using a holder. If this still does not work for you, there are other alternatives in the form of small brushes or toothpicks.
Children
It is a common misconception that the deciduous teeth are not important, as they will fall out anyway. However, your child’s deciduous teeth need the same care as the permanent ones.
There are several reasons to take well care of your child’s primary teeth:
· Problems in deciduous teeth cause pain just as they do in permanent teeth.
· The permanent teeth are important to keep in place until they are shed, because they retain space in the dental arch later needed for the permanent teeth. The early loss of a deciduous tooth may cause problems later which can only be corrected by orthodontics.
· Infection on the root tip of a deciduous tooth may damage the underlying permanent tooth.
· To establish a positive attitude towards oral hygiene and the dentist visits. Visiting the dentist is often a positive experience for the child who is used regular check-ups and light treatment. Neglecting your child’s teeth will most likely create the need for extensive dental treatment at some point, which understandably may create negative feelings towards dental treatment. Give your child a good start by following a few simple rules:
· Brush your child’s teeth as soon as they erupt. Use a small, soft toothbrush and very little toothpaste (about as much as will fit on the child’s pinky finger nail).
· Do not give sugar containing drinks or juices when bottle-feeding. Later, restrict sugar containing drinks.
· Let the child visit a dentist for the first time at around 3 years old, and then every 6 or 12 months. The first visits should introduce the child to the dentist, and preferably no treatment should be done at this point. It usually takes time for a child to feel at ease in the dentist chair, and to keep the trust of the child it is important to start treatment gradually.
· Avoid the use of pacifier after 3 years old. Prolonged use of pacifiers can cause malocclusions which will need orthodontic treatment.
· You must brush your child’s teeth twice a day, until the child is 10 to 12 years old. Children do not have the motor skills to brush properly until this age. |
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