We have all had the importance of proper oral hygiene drummed into us from years of dental visits. But sometimes, we let our oral hygiene habits slip. It could be because of travel, a change to our lifestyle or new living conditions.
Without keeping a consistent schedule for your oral hygiene, you can expect some potentially damaging consequences. While our job as dentists is to facilitate happy and smiling mouths, your oral hygiene is largely up to you.
If you feel like your dental hygiene has fallen by the wayside a little, follow our tips below to regain a healthy level of oral care.
Home Dental Hygiene Tips
Home dental hygiene starts with a consistent schedule. We recommend two brushes and at least one floss every day, to ensure that your teeth and gums are in the best shape possible. This is especially important for those that have braces, retainers or any orthodontic work currently in place, as these procedures can cause some difficulty in cleaning the hard to reach spots within your mouth.
You should take extra care while eating, playing sports, and exercising to avoid any accidental damage to your teeth or gums. Where necessary, wear protective gear! This will prevent you from any undue pain, damage, or visits to the dentist.
Keep a close eye on your dental health to identify any emerging oral issues that you may see. This could come in the form of discomfort, pain, swelling, discolouration, or anything out of the ordinary for you. If you identify anything of this sort, contact the team at Grange Family Dental straight away, so that we can advise you on your best course of action.
The Importance of Oral Hygiene Right Now
With the global Covid-19 pandemic currently causing so much unrest throughout the world, you can be forgiven for having your mind occupied with things other than your oral hygiene. However, it is still just as important as ever!
With so much time being spent at home, we encourage everyone to keep a consistent schedule of self-care. While this should involve oral health, it should also include other things you enjoy. Customise your self-care routine to do what works best for you. Typically, this may involve exercise, spending time with the people you love (where possible) and working on your hobbies.
How Dental Practice is Affected
With the uncertainty of social distancing restrictions and non-essential business closing, there has been extra strain placed on services such as dentistry. We want to reiterate that this has placed extra importance on maintaining oral hygiene. If oral hygiene is not maintained properly, it may be harder for you to get the help you need from your dentist.
For more information about how Covid-19 is effecting our practice, we have written a coronavirus update detailing our changed working conditions. In short, we are still practicing emergency treatment to our patients, but routine check-ups are cleaning will be deferred for the foreseeable future. Our commitment lies with the health and safety of the team and our patients, and we are taking every necessary precaution.
