Investing in your dental hygiene is one of the most important things you can do to improve your teeth. Looking after your teeth and gums can also protect your health as a whole.
Various factors can impact the quality and overall effectiveness of your dental hygiene. Unless you make an effort to keep up with the required steps, preventable problems can soon occur.
Cromer House is a leading destination for all things dental hygiene Liverpool.
In today’s post, we’re here to inspire you to maintain good dental hygiene, including if you need a little help getting back on track.
What is dental hygiene?
Dental hygiene describes all of the steps needed to keep your teeth, gums and mouth healthy.
As part of a dental hygiene routine, you will need to take various actions every day to help remove food debris from your teeth, like brushing and flossing. This is to help prevent bacteria which lives in the mouth from developing into plaque and tartar.
The majority of your dental hygiene routine relies upon the steps you take on a daily basis. However, visiting a dentist and hygienist regularly should also form part of your routine. Combined, this offers the best chance of avoiding future problems relating to poor dental hygiene.
The risks of poor dental hygiene
It’s no understatement when we say that poor dental hygiene can negatively impact all aspects of your health and wellbeing.
Your teeth can become discoloured or decayed, especially if you don’t brush and floss as often as you should. Unfortunately, tooth decay, gum disease and even tooth loss can also lead to other health problems.
For instance, what you might not know is that the gums also act as the first line of defence for bacteria entering the bloodstream. Therefore, if gum disease sets in, this bacteria is free to cause havoc elsewhere in the body. Common health issues associated with poor dental health include diabetes and heart disease.
Tooth loss resulting from decay can also impact your ability to eat certain foods. Over the long term, this can even lead to nutritional deficiencies.
So, as you can see, poor dental hygiene can have widespread implications. That’s why investing in a good dental hygiene routine couldn’t be more important.
The benefits of good dental hygiene
In short, good dental hygiene sets you up to avoid all of the associated dental and health problems we’ve just discussed.
Teeth that are thoroughly cleaned daily also look and feel fresher. This in turn can improve the appearance of your smile and also keep your breath fresher.
Over the long term, those who commit to maintaining excellent dental hygiene can expect fewer problems, especially the likes of cavities or gum disease. This can not only prevent future discomfort but will also save you money on dental treatments.
As you age especially, maintaining good dental hygiene will also become integral to your overall quality of life. Specifically, by avoiding problems like tooth decay and tooth loss, you can continue to eat with ease.
By keeping all of your natural teeth, this can also work to promote a more youthful appearance.
Tips for maintaining good dental hygiene
Good dental hygiene requires daily effort. While you can’t skip the steps involved, the good news is that maintaining an excellent routine only takes a few minutes out of your day.
Plus, it can also save you hours in the dentist’s chair, especially if you can avoid the likes of tooth decay and gum disease as a result!
A good dental hygiene routine should look like so:
Brushing – Brush twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste. Crucially, when you brush at night you should not eat or drink afterwards.
Using an electric toothbrush is preferred as it can work to remove more plaque compared to a manual toothbrush.
Some electric toothbrushes will also have timers, including those which pulsate every 30 seconds. This is designed to help you brush each section of your teeth for the same amount of time.
Also, if you have Invisalign, you will need to brush your teeth after you eat before you put your trays back in.
Flossing – Floss once a day to help remove the debris between the teeth which brushing alone cannot remove. You can try traditional string floss, or invest in a water flosser. It’s best to floss before brushing.
Mouthwash – Using mouthwash between brushing can help strengthen enamel and prevent the buildup of bacteria in the mouth.
Tongue cleaner – Using a tongue cleaner once a day is an advanced dental hygiene step. However, it can work to remove the maximum amount of bacteria from the mouth, and can also freshen your breath.
In addition, visiting both a dental and hygienist at the recommended time frames is also important. For most patients, they will need to visit a dentist and a hygienist every 6 months.
Remember, avoiding smoking and vaping is also important for your dental health. As is not consuming sugary or acidic foods as much as possible.
Dental hygiene at Cromer House
When you visit our Liverpool dental hygienist, your professional teeth clean will be in the very best hands.
Your hygienist will ask you about your dental history and will also carefully examine your teeth.
Based on their findings, your hygienist will then create a custom treatment to remove any plaque or tartar buildup from your teeth, plus any staining that has occurred.
A hygienist clean is performed using our professional scaler, polishing and flossing tools. The better your dental hygiene routine, the easier and quicker any professional cleaning will be to complete.
You may feel some discomfort if you have significant plaque build-up which needs to be removed. However, we also want you to feel at ease during your treatment, so rest assured we will take excellent care of you.
When your appointment is complete, your hygienist will give you a mirror so that you can see the results. You will also be given some personalised tips to help maintain or improve your dental hygiene routine until your next visit.
Cromer House – Discover our dental hygiene Liverpool services
Has it been more than 6 months since you last saw our dental hygienist?
Or, are you a new patient in search of professional teeth cleaning in Liverpool?
Whether you require a general clean, or a more intensive stain removal we’re here to help!
The Cromer House team invites you to book an appointment online for our dental hygiene services.
Alternatively, please give us a call on 0151 489 2139.
