"THE Edinburgh Dentist

1. Brushing Technique

The information here is not a secret, but if you rigorously apply the plan then your risk of dental disease will drop considerably. This plan asks you to  invest, at most, 6 minutes of your time each  day. Sticking to this plan will certainly reduce the time you need to spend in the dentist's chair....... definitely something to smile about! 

1. Brushing

2. Flossing

3. Diet

4. Regular Examinations

(2 minutes morning and night)

When you brush your teeth you are doing two things. The first is mechanically removing layers of bacteria that build up on your teeth and the second is applying fluoride from the toothpaste you use. It is important to brush for a full 2 minutes to ensure that enough time is taken to cover all of the accessible surfaces. Brush with small circular motions pressing gently and working on 2-3 teeth at a time We recommend a sequential approach to brushing as shown in the diagrams below.

now move on to the lower teeth and do it all again!

Brush for 2 minutes in the morning and 2 minutes at night for maximum benefit. For help selecting the perfect toothbrush for each member of your family click here.  Brushing only covers 80% of the surfaces of the teeth. There has not been a toothbrush made yet with bristles which are small enough to clean effectively between the teeth. The area where teeth meet is one of the most common sites of tooth decay ......so to avoid this you will need Dental  Floss.

2.Flossing

(2 minutes every day)

Flossing cleans the spaces between the teeth where your toothbrush cant reach. Regular flossing can assist in your fight against gum disease and tooth decay. Flossing is a skill. No one finds it easy to start with, but if you follow some of our tips you might just find than it is easier than you think. With practice an adult can floss all of his or her teeth in around 2 minutes. For maximum health you must floss once per day.

Find Out more about FLOSSING

3. Its Not What you Eat Its How You Eat!

We all know, sugary foods cause dental decay. But our 4 point plan for dental health realises that we can't get by without any sugar so we aim to limit the damage done when you do eat it.

When you eat sugar your teeth decay for 40 minutes to 1 hour afterwards. Eat all the sugary things at once. (i.e. a packet of mints will do more harm if you suck one at a time all afternoon than if you eat them all at once). Eat sugary things at a meal time (At meal times you are producing more saliva anyway so the effects of the sugar will be more rapidly counteracted) 

After this time your saliva can repair minor damage. This unfortunately takes lots and lots of time... approximately 6- 8 hours. 

So you can probably get away with eating sugary things twice or maybe three times per day at most. Any more exposure to sugar will then cause tooth decay at such a rate that your saliva can't cope with the amount of repair work needed and tooth decay will be the result. 

 It is the frequency of sugar intake and not the amount that causes tooth decay. i.e. 1 spoonful of sugar in coffee is almost as bad as two.

Try sugar substitutes  (sugar free mints, sugar free fruit drops, artificial sweeteners in tea and coffee) 

Remember brushing after eating a sugary snack will NOT make much difference.

4. Regular Dental Examinations

Regular examinations will allow any problems in your mouth to be identified at the earliest stage possible. Many dental problems now can be treated PREVENTATIVELY (i.e. without the need for injections or fillings) if caught early enough.

A full examination involves checks  for Gum Disease, Tooth Decay, Tooth Wear, Tooth Erosion, and Oral Cancer. It may be necessary to take x-rays too. The whole process takes roughly 20 minutes. Not long, for peace of mind  and as part of a  4 point plan for a healthy mouth.

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