Corona Bites: Day Thirty-Four
‘Lockdown’ your Dental Hygiene
This is not our area of expertise; however, as most dental surgeries are closed we are trying to manage the conditions that we feel comfortable doing with a telephone or video consultation.
We have attached below some advice on dental hygiene.
Brushing your teeth
Brush for at least 2 minutes, twice-a-day using a toothpaste that contains at least 1350ppm-1500ppm Fluoride. Children under 3 years should use a smear of toothpaste, whilst children aged 3-6 years should use a small pea-sized amount. It is important to brush last thing at night and at least on one other occasion in the day. After brushing, spit out the excess and remember not to rinse your mouth or use a mouthwash immediately after. (Activity idea: Brushing technique would be a great skill to pencil into your child’s learning schedule.)
Interdental brushing and flossing
To ensure your gums stay healthy, anyone over the age of 12 should use interdental brushes between their teeth daily. For really tight spaces try dental floss or tape. Lockdown is the perfect time to experiment with interdental brushes and floss so you can incorporate this into your daily routine. (TIP: if you’ve never used interdental brushes before try a small size first then work up to the largest size that fits in the space comfortably.)
Snacking
We have all been reaching for the snack drawer a little more than usual during this period. Aim to keep snacks between meals sugar-free, and keep an eye out for those hidden sugars particularly in ready-made meals and ‘healthy’ snacks. Try and keep the sugar in yours and your children’s diet as low as possible by reducing the amount of sugar you consume, and the frequency of how often you consume sugar during the day; Eat less sugar, and eat it less often. (Activity: As part of your child’s learning get them to identify healthy foods from a selection from your cupboards)
Braces
Your orthodontist will have given you instructions on how to care for your braces when you had them fitted. It is important to follow these instructions so that you get the best result for your smile from your braces. Brushing twice a day and limiting the sugar in your diet is very important. You can use an interdental brush between the teeth to keep the areas around your brace and in-between your teeth clean, as well as using other brushes recommended by your orthodontist.
Dentures
Ensure you remove your denture at night and clean it thoroughly using warm soapy water and a brush over a basin filled with water (in case you drop your denture: you don’t want it to hit a hard surface.) If you prefer you can soak your denture overnight in water with added denture cleaning solution, please use the solution that is correct for the type of denture you have.
Also, remember to be extra careful with your denture as it may be difficult to repair or replace the denture during this period.
As always, if you have any queries or concerns about your health or your child’s health then please do get in touch with our doctor.
