Hi everyone and welcome to this six part educational series. Today we'll be covering
oral hygiene instructions. To watch all of the videos before they're released on our channel,
make sure to download the my dental care app
from either the apple store or the google play store. Let's get started.
In this video we'll be covering a variety of topics to do with your oral hygiene. The aim
of tooth brushing is to remove the soft dental plaque which is basically bacteria in your mouth
and food particles from your teeth to massage fluoride from your toothpaste over the surfaces
of your teeth. The small concentration of fluoride found in your toothpaste is very
good at strengthening tooth enamel which will help prevent tooth decay. Toothbrushing aims to
significantly help prevent the two main diseases in dentistry: gum disease and tooth decay.
So the first thing you want to do while brushing your teeth is to pay attention.
This sounds simple enough however it's so easy to switch into autopilot mode and you may find that
there are always certain areas that you're missing consistently with your toothbrush. Over time,
this can lead to dental problems, dental plaque or bacteria builds up on your teeth and gums.
So it's important to place your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle towards the gum line to ensure the
removal of plaque and the bristles must contact both the teeth and the gums. So what you want to
be doing is using gentle small circular motions on about two to three teeth at a time. Don't use
excessive pressure or large back and forth motions like you see on many tv shows this will usually
result in brushing too hard causing your gums to recede or lead to tooth wear make sure you
brush the outer inner and biting surfaces of each tooth remember bacteria can't tell the difference
between your beautiful smile and the areas people can't see so clean all the surfaces equally you
clean the back surfaces of your front teeth by tilting the toothbrush vertically and use
gentle up and down strokes ideally you should be brushing for at least two minutes twice a
day and one time needs to be just before going to sleep because you need to remove any food
that may be left and stuck in between your teeth try to set a routine that you follow each time
it may help to divide your teeth into four quadrants and always start on the same quadrant
for example your upper right hand side you should ideally be spending two to three seconds on each
tooth surface you shouldn't rinse your mouth out with water or mouthwash after you brush your teeth
spit out the foam and leave the toothpaste inside your mouth the fluoride in your toothpaste can
strengthen your enamel and help to prevent tooth decay you should be using either a soft or medium
toughness toothbrush try to avoid hard bristles or brushes as they tend to lead to tooth wear you
will usually require a small to medium sized toothbrush head and try to avoid large sizes
the key here is not to use it like a manual toothbrush let the toothbrush do the work
just hold the oscillating toothbrush head for about five seconds on each tooth making
sure to cover all the surfaces before moving on to the next tooth regardless of what type
of toothbrush you have it's important to place your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle towards the
gum line to ensure the removal of plaque and the bristles must contact both the teeth and the gums
don't use excessive pressure or large back and forth motions like you see on many tv shows
this will usually result in brushing too hard causing your gums to recede or lead to tooth wear
make sure you brush the outer inner and biting surfaces of each tooth remember bacteria can't
tell the difference between your beautiful smile and the areas people can't see so clean all the
surfaces equally ideally you should be brushing for at least two minutes twice a day and one
time needs to be just before going to sleep because you need to remove any food that may
be left and stuck in between your teeth try to set a routine that you follow each time
it may help to divide your teeth into four quadrants and always start on the same quadrant
for example your upper right hand side you should ideally be spending two to three seconds on each
tooth surface you shouldn't rinse your mouth out of water or mouthwash after you brush your teeth
spit out the foam and leave the toothpaste inside your mouth the fluoride in your toothpaste can
strengthen your enamel and help to prevent tooth decay you should be using either a soft or medium
toughness toothbrush try to avoid hard bristles or brushes as they tend to lead to tooth wear you
will usually require a small to medium sized toothbrush head and try to avoid large sizes
an electric toothbrush is much more effective at removing dental plaque
than a manual brush the bristles of electric toothbrush change in directions
multiple times at high frequency which makes it more effective at removing dental clock certain
electric brushes even have pressure sensors to ensure that you are not applying too much force
and this can help prevent abrasive tooth wear despite this you can still maintain a high level
of oral hygiene using either type of brush you just need to make sure that you are using good
brushing technique and spending enough time because if you miss cleaning certain tooth
surfaces it doesn't matter what type of brush you have those areas are not going to be clean
so we may have already mentioned a few of these before but the important things to remember is
to avoid brushing too hard and to use a good brushing technique and avoid that forceful
back and forth motion with your toothbrush also you should be avoiding brushing your
teeth straight after consuming something that's acidic or sugary as this would temporarily soften
the enamel of your teeth and therefore can lead to tooth wear you should avoid
brushing your teeth for at least 45 minutes after you have just eaten or drunk something
you should regularly replace your toothbrush or your oscillating head on your electric toothbrush
as these bristles will usually wear out around about the three months mark if
your toothbrush starts to look like this after a couple of weeks you may be brushing too hard
you might want to occasionally consider using a plaque disclosing tablet which can help to test
how well you've brushed your teeth this tablet is a purple vegetable dye that helps to identify
colorless dental plaque by staining it blue or purple a great way of testing yourself is
to use it just after you've finished brushing your teeth as it stains all the tooth surfaces
which still have dental plaque remaining on them you can now go back over these surfaces
until you have removed all of the dye next time try to remember these particular areas
and clean them thoroughly these turrets are relatively inexpensive and it's a great tool to
use initially once you start getting the hang of it you're not likely to need them as often
it's understandable for you to think that this is just simply toothbrushing however you'd be
surprised how these small changes can have a massive impact on your dental health over the
years to come the way you use it is by placing the tablet inside your mouth don't swallow it
chew and swirl it in your mouth as you would mouthwash until the tablets dissolve then spit
out the excess foam rinse with water lightly and look in the mirror to reveal the results
as my periodontal gum professor used to say you only need to floss the teeth you wish to keep so
make sure you're either using interdental brushes or dental floss once a day to clean all your teeth
even the ones at the back which are much harder to do bristles on your toothbrush can't access
these areas in between your teeth so if you don't clean them separately you're always going
to be leaving food particles or dental plaque which can lead to tooth decay and gum disease
interdental brushes are small color-coded brushes which come in a variety of different sizes
they are very effective at removing dental plaque and food particles in between your teeth where
the bristles of a toothbrush can't reach the gaps between your teeth will vary in size so
you need to use the right size interdental brush in order to clean each gap properly when the gaps
between your teeth are so tight that the smallest interplanetal brush cannot fit then this is when
you should usually be using dental floss when selecting an appropriate size interdental brush
it should have a snug fit in the gap between your teeth it shouldn't be too tight or too loose and
you should never have to force it through again your hygienist or dentist should be able to guide
you further if you suffer from gum disease it's essential that you learn how to maintain
really good oral hygiene by using the correct size interdental brush for each space or gap
your gums will bleed when you first start flossing and we're using incidental brushes so don't be
alarmed if you see blood around your gums or in your saliva this is to be expected initially
your gums will be prone to bleeding due to the inflammation caused by dental plaque
this is covered more in the gum disease video your gums will need a relatively clean environment and
sufficient time to heal to reduce the inflammation therefore it's vital that you persevere and keep
those areas clean despite seeing the blood after a short period of time you should notice your
gums will bleed less combined with appropriate dental treatment reduced or no bleeding gums can
be a sign that your gums are improving in health if you're a smoker your gums will bleed less due
to the nicotine in the cigarette this can hide gum disease but refer to the gum disease section
for more information at first your gums are going to be sore when you first start to clean them and
this is due to the inflammation around the gums think of it as when you first start working out
your muscles are going to be a bit sore this is just a natural response and you shouldn't
be worried about it this will only be at the beginning when your gums are most inflate as
the inflammation improves so does the tenderness around the gums afterwards you'll be able to floss
or use internal blushes completely pain-free at first flossing or using interdental brushes can
seem quite long and tedious it can initially be difficult and could be hard to find the
motivation nevertheless if you persevere you will naturally become faster more accurate and better
at it meaning you'll be able to clean your entire mouth and a fifth of the time it took when you
first started so there are many different flossing techniques but i'll just talk you through one of
them take a decent size length of floss about 40 centimeters and then wrap two loops around your
left index finger and then wrap the remaining amount of floss around your right index finger
until you have about five centimeters in between your two fingers now use both of your thumbs to
gently push the floss in between your teeth and then press it below the contact point where the
two adjacent teeth meet don't push too hard or use a soaring back and forth action just a simple
white up and down against both the sides of your teeth once you've cleaned one area move to the
next contact point make sure you use a fresh clean part of the floss for each new area as the floss
becomes used and dirty unwrap more clean fresh floss from your right index finger and wrap up
the used dirty floss with your left index finger so that you're still maintaining around about
five centimeters of floss between your two fingers repeat this action work your way around the entire
mouth if you keep at it you will naturally become much quicker and efficient at this
first of all you want to select appropriate sized brushes and your dentist or hygienist can help to
guide you with that insert the dental brush in the gap in between your teeth just below the contact
point where the two adjacent teeth meet press it against one side of the tooth so it curves around
and then move it in and out gently then press it against the other side of the tooth and then again
in and out once the gap is clean remove the brush and wash it under running water repeat
this process between the next two teeth if the gap of the next two teeth is larger or
smaller then you should change the brush size accordingly some gaps will be so tight that even
the smallest incidental brushes cannot fit in these areas and so you need to use dental floss
remember to change the brushes when the bristles become deformed or worn out
a dental bridge is an artificial tooth which is attached to one or two natural teeth there are
different types of bridges as these teeth are connected regular dental floss cannot be used
as you will not be able to push the floss under the contact points so this is going to be a job
for superfloss this is a special type of floss designed to clean and maintain dental bridges
it is quite easy to get food and bacteria trapped under bridges which can irritate the guns below
so it's important to have a way to clean under there the way you use superfloss is by threading
the superfloss just below the point where the dental bridge attaches to the natural tooth
then pull the floss through until the thick fluffy part of the floss is under the bridge
slide the fluffy part along the underside of the bridge in a wiping motion once you
reach the other side of the bridge you just thread it all the way out this should ideally
be done once a day preferably before bedtime to prevent irritation of the gums and tooth decay
after eating you should ideally remove your dentures and rinse them under running water to
clean away any food bottles you should regularly clean your dentures morning and night time
using a soft bristled brush and a fragrance free soap avoid using toothpaste as these are usually
too abrasive for cleaning denture surfaces it is very important to brush off all the food and
bacteria which is built over the day make sure you're cleaning every surface of the denture
especially the surface that fits against your gums it's quite common for dentures to break
by being dropped on a hard porcelain sink during cleaning to safeguard against this you may want
to fill the bathroom sink with water and place a towel over it before cleaning your dentures
also you should always remove your dentures before going to sleep it is best to store them overnight
in water at room temperature you should never be using boiling water as this can warp the shape
of the dentures please don't use any type of bleaching products to clean your dentures these
will usually weaken or discolor the denture it is important to visit your dentist at the advice
recall period to check the fit of the denture and to examine and assess the health of your mouth if
any parts of the denture break or any metal cusps become bent then please visit your dentist as soon
as possible on the screen now you're going to look at prevention summary on how to maintain
good oral health and to help reduce the risk of gum diseases and tooth decay we go into
much greater detail on everything on this list in each of the videos in each of the dedicated
sections on the my dental care app sometimes in order to make a change you need to understand
the processes and the reasons behind it so in light of this we do hope that you look and read
it into each topic however on screen now is a concise summary of all the important prevention
tips so please feel free to pause the video and have a read so that's everything you need to know
when it comes to maintaining good oral hygiene we hope you found this video useful and if you
did feel free to check out the other videos in the my dental care app or subscribe to our
youtube channel for more take care and we'll see you in the next video thanks for watching guys