You could be brushing your teeth wrong

We all know the advice for healthy teeth – brush twice a day and don’t eat too much sugar.

So why do we sometimes need a filling when we visit the dentist?

The truth is, there’s much more to preventing tooth decay than the guidelines suggest.

Here’s the advice you need to know from Malta’s leading dentists.

Brush up on your skills

Taking two minutes to brush your teeth is a good target for removing plaque and you should brush at night and one other time daily.

The whitest teeth are not the healthiest

We all want a dazzling smile, but teeth are not designed to be pure white.

They naturally yellow as we age, and although we should look after them, bright white teeth could be a sign of excessive fluorides or even calcium deficiency.

 

Spit, don’t rinse

At night, you produce less saliva than during the day.

Because of this, your teeth have less protection from saliva and are more vulnerable to acid attacks.

Once you’ve brushed, don’t rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash – you’re washing away the fluoride!

This can be a difficult habit to break, but can reduce tooth decay by up to 25 per cent.

 

Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, spit don’t rinse, eat and drink nothing after brushing, and don’t have sugar more than four times daily. Easy!

Read more: Dental Association of Malta