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Oral Hygiene Instruction in Midland

Oral Hygiene Instruction

Maximising your at-home care routine

Brushing removes tiny food particles left from daily meals and snacks from between teeth, helping prevent tooth decay. The importance of brushing regularly cannot be overstated.

You should ideally brush twice a day, once after breakfast and most importantly before you go to sleep.

Just as important as brushing is how you brush. You don’t need a long line of toothpaste on your brush, just use about the size of your little fingernail.

1) For the front of your front teeth, angle your brush at about 45 degrees and brush in small circular motions. This will also massage your gums while removing plaque
2) For the back of your front teeth, hold your brush vertically and brush up and down ensuring you brush your gums as well as your tooth surface. Brush each tooth individually.
3) For your back teeth use a horizontal forward and back motion across the top of your teeth, this will help the bristles get into the deep grooves. Then tilt your brush to 45 degrees – like for your front teeth – and brush the outside and inside of your back teeth and gums.

A thorough brushing routine should take between 2 – 3 minutes.

Effective flossing techniques:

Although it may take a few attempts to master, flossing is an essential part of an oral health routine.

Flossing at the end of the day will remove any food particles from between your teeth so they are not there all night. It’s a good idea to floss before brushing to ensure you don’t miss anything.

1) Take a piece of floss approximately 50cm long and wrap it around each index finger, leaving a length of about 5cm
2) Grip the floss between your thumb and index finger and curve it around your tooth so it forms the shape of a ‘c’
3) Slide the floss up and down the side of the tooth as well as below the gum line. This will open the gum pockets and keep them free from food particles
4) Select a new, clean length of floss from around your fingers for each tooth and floss each tooth individually.

If you would like advice on getting the most out of your oral care routine talk to one of the friendly and helpful team at Helena Street Dental Midland at your next appointment.

To make an appointment, call us on (08) 9250 3100 or visit our practice. We are located at 2/42 Victoria Street, Midland WA 6056.