What common dental mistakes are you making?
Over half of UK adults haven’t visited the dentist in the last two years.
Our oral and dental hygiene is incredibly important but surprisingly, UK adults make several common mistakes that affect the impact of their daily dental routine. This list identifies key dental mistakes you might be making, which could lead to oral health complications in the future.
1) Avoiding the Dentist
Incredibly half of UK adults haven’t visited the dentist in the last two years. Regular dental visits are vital in maintaining your oral health and dental hygiene. We recommend visiting the dentist every six months.
“Dental checkups are fundamentally important because dentists are able to prevent or stop cavity problems, which are impossible to detect by yourself.”
2) Changing Your Toothbrush
Toothbrushes are very important for your dental hygiene routine. They scrub away a lot of bacteria and plaque that forms on and around your teeth. But a common mistake people make is not replacing it regularly.
“Bacteria can remain attached to the bristles of an older toothbrush.”
You should look to replace your toothbrush every 3-4 months. If you’ve noticed that your toothbrush bristles are losing their shape, we recommend replacing it.
3) Not Using Fluoride
Tooth decay is a very common dental issue that affects many UK adults daily. Although it’s important to ensure children don’t get overexposed to fluoride, a dental mistake adults are making is ditching fluoride toothpaste entirely.
“Natural remedies are becoming popular, but they lack the necessary amount of fluoride needed in protecting your teeth from decay.”
Fluoride helps strengthen the enamel around each tooth, protecting it from everyday substances like drinks and food. This prevents cavities in the teeth and any other infections that might arise.
4) Flossing
Bacteria and other germs can always be found stuck in-between your teeth, and they may be unreachable from your toothbrush. Daily flossing has numerous dental health benefits such as; preventing bad breath, prevents plaque build-up and most importantly, helps prevents gum disease.
“Flossing after each meal is a great way in preventing food and bacteria from being stuck in-between your teeth.”
5) Brushing Your Tongue
Although your tongue isn’t at risk for developing cavities, a common dental mistake people make is forgetting about brushing their tongue entirely! Because the tongue isn’t smooth, bacteria can tuck away in-between the crevices along the tongue’s surface.
“Brushing your tongue can be a common solution for bad breath after bacteria and plaque have been removed from its surface.”
Preventive care and oral hygiene: Gum Disease
What is gum disease?
This is a type of dental condition that many people may not even be aware of because the initial symptoms are often quite innocuous; gum disease is a form of infection that typically develops due to poor oral hygiene, although it can sometimes occur when a certain type of bacteria comes into contact with the soft tissue in the mouth.
Most of the time, gum disease will be caused by lack of proper brushing and flossing, which allows plaque to build up along the gum line; this irritates the gum tissue and will lead to infection.
The initial symptom of gum disease is usually some slight bleeding from around the teeth after they have been brushed; this is not always easy to identify because it does not normally come with any discomfort or soreness of the tissue, which means that the condition can be overlooked for some time before treatment is provided. See more symptoms.
Blood around the gums
If you do notice that there is some blood around the gums or in the sink after you have rinsed your mouth out there is no need to panic; however, it is a good idea to report this kind of symptom to your dentist before long – if there is infection present it will respond better to early treatment and it may be eradicated completely.
Without proper attention and treatment, gum disease can develop into a disease known as periodontitis.
If you are faced with this serious issue, we recommend booking an appointment with The Surrey-based Gentle Dental Implant and Cosmetic Centre. This dental practice has won numerous awards such as ‘Periodontal Practice of the Year’ from 2017 Global Excellence Awards, so you know are getting the best treatment possible. For more information about their specialist periodontist team, click here.
One way to make sure that problems with infection or decay don’t develop without you realising is to maintain regular contact with your dentist; experts recommend getting your teeth checked at least once a year. Why is it so important?
This will give your dentist plenty of time to treat problem symptoms if they do arise and long-term problems can be avoided – it also means that you will be able to voice any concerns that you might have about your dental health.
If you decide that it might be helpful to get regular check-ups you will have to register with a particular surgery; this is so that all your information is in the system when you come to make an appointment.
If you think you might have gum disease and you would like to get it treated soon you should make an appointment with a specialist.
Health Fact Sheets
Stay Informed
At Health & Therapy Clinic Online, we like to provide our readers with as much information as possible about keeping body and mind healthy.
Check out our fact sheets below to find out more about a range of vital topics.
Fact sheets:
What is allergy?
What is an Allergen?
We are interested in all areas of health. Often illness can be a direct reaction to something in the environment or something we eat or come into contact with.
Oral health:
The health of our teeth and gums is vital not only to have a great looking smile but to keep our bodies healthy. Click here to see gum disease facts in London.
Gum disease is a common occurrence in adults and can be managed with a daily hygiene routine.
However, if you have concerns about the health of your teeth or gums, it’s best to get checked by a dental expert. View your Hertfordshire treatment options here.
Vitamin D:
Vitamin D lowers blood pressure
A diet with sufficient vitamins helps the body to function properly. Get tested if you have concerns. See our list of local NHS services.
Diabetics:
Type 2 Diabetes latest. See how walking can help manage the disease.
Diabetes can affect the eyesight. Make sure to book regular checkups. Click here for more.
Spear Medical Bulletin:
Medical bulletin – Doctors have assisted some of our members with their allergies and sensitivities.
Moulds: One of our members has had a bad experience with mould causing illness.
First Aid
Find out what everyone should know about First Aid. Click here.
Autism:
What is autism?
How a Physician Cured Her Son of autism?
Fluoride:
The Big Debate “ Should we fluoridate our water supplies?
The children of some of our members have experienced white spots on their teeth.
Mercury:
Mercury could soon be banned by EU – amalgam fillings
Some of our members have had their amalgam fillings removed because of health concerns.
Are there any topics you’d like us to cover? Let us know here