Oral hygiene at home
Dental care starts at home:
Oral hygiene at home - in a nutshell - brushing your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes is a good way to preserve your teeth for a long time. But to bridge the time between the prophylaxis appointments in the dentist's office, it also requires the correct care of interdental spaces. Without cleaning these surfaces with special aids such as dental floss or interdental brushes, a large proportion of the tooth surfaces remain at the mercy of the harmful effects of plaque bacteria. The choice of the appropriate toothbrush, whether manual, sonic or oscillating (these are electric toothbrushes with strongly moving brush heads), also depends entirely on the individual care needs of the patient.
Changing the toothbrushes more often (ideally every 6 weeks) is also one of the measures to maintain oral health. Old brushes are full of microorganisms that massively counteract the healing of gum diseases.
Cleaning the back of the tongue with a suitable tongue cleaner is also recommended in the case of existing infections (colds, tonsillitis or rickets), as many germs are found on the surface of the tongue.
When choosing a suitable toothpaste, pay attention to a sufficient fluoride content: Use toothpaste with 1,400 ppm fluoride (for adults) for children see information: here.
Professional Oral Hygiene:
Not all plaque can be combated by home oral hygiene alone. Bacteria found in deeper gum pockets or in hard-to-reach places should be removed once or twice a year with professional oral hygiene to keep the teeth and periodontium healthy. Bleeding gums when brushing teeth is the first sign that certain brushing deficiencies exist. If these are ignored, the inflammation of the gums (so-called gingivitis) progresses to the more severe form, periodontitis, in which the bone around the tooth is also attacked by the bacteria. The consequences are mobile teeth and even tooth loss.
If you have any further questions regarding home or professional oral hygiene, please use our contact form, call us or use the possibility to book an appointment online. We are looking forward to hearing from you!