Oral Health Care

Maintaining good oral health is quite simple, and will pay off, as oral health problems can lead to:

toothache,
loss of teeth,
loss of time at school, course or work,
oral health problems at a later stage when dental care is no longer free,
a lot of unnecessary stress.

The main strategies to remember in maintaining good oral health are to:

Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste
Floss regularly
Limit sweet food and drinks
Take advantage of your free dental check-up every 12 months

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Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste

It is important to brush twice daily to remove plaque that builds up on your teeth every day and night. This will help prevent holes and gum disease. To find out more about what plaque is and how it can affect your teeth and gums, click here... Ensure the toothpaste you use contain fluoride (it should say on the tube or packet).

Tooth brushing technique:

Spit but Don't Rinse Tip: Once you’ve
brushed, spit out the toothpaste you have left in your mouth, but don’t rinse with water. Not rinsing with water will leave some of the fluoride from the toothpaste around your teeth for extra protection.

Choosing the Right Toothbrush: Choose a brush with soft bristles. Soft bristles are strong enough to remove plaque, but at the same time do not damage your teeth - using medium and hard bristled brushes can damage the tooth enamel!

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Floss regularly

Flossing regularly helps remove plaque between teeth where it is difficult to reach with a toothbrush. To find out more about what plaque is and how it can affect your teeth and gums, click here... Flossing once a day is most beneficial, however if not possible three times a week at the least is recommended. This will help prevent holes and gum disease.

Flossing technique:

Source of diagram: http://www.colgate.com

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Limit sweet food and drinks

If your teeth come in contact with sugar a lot, for example if you are sipping sweet drinks and/or snacking on sweet food throughout the day, it can lead to holes in teeth and gum disease. It is therefore important to limit the number of times during the day you have sweet food and drinks. It is ok to eat and drink something sweet now and then, however try and replace sweet food and drinks with healthy, tooth friendly options as much as possible.

A useful tip if you are having a sweet snack or drink is to have it with one of your main meals. Your saliva flow is high while your are eating your main meals and, because saliva is our natural acid neutraliser, it will help shorten the effect the sugar in the snack is having on your teeth. Try to keep to tooth friendly snacks between main meals.

If you are having a sweet snack outside main meal times have it all in one go, not spread throughout the day. Having it all in one go also helps to limit the effect the sugar in the snack is having on your teeth. To read more about what happens when your teeth comes in contact with sugar, click here..

Limiting the amount and number of times you have sweet food and drinks during the day benefits not only your oral health, but the health of the rest of your body as well!

For tooth friendly snack and drink ideas, click here...

The table below will give you an idea of how many teaspoons of sugar there are in some of the most common drinks:

Teaspoons of Sugar
600ml Bottle of Fizzy Drink	16-20
600ml Sports Drink	10
400ml Juice (NO added Sugar!)	10
250ml Energy Drinks	7
250ml Glass of a Powdered Drink	6
250ml Flavoured Milk	6

Milk and water are the best drinks for your teeth!____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Seeing to the dentist every 12 months

Make sure you take advantage of your free dental check-up every 12 months.

By going for a check-up every 12 months it is more likely that oral health problems will be stopped at an early stage before they start causing you any pain or problems. To find out more about what happens when you go to the dentist and why it is important, click here..

If you are worried or anxious about going to the dentist, click here for more information.

Your 12 monthly dental check-ups will be free until you turn 18, no matter where you are at: high school, course, work or unemployed. If you are enrolled with a dentist they may send you a reminder when you are due for your yearly check-up. If not, call your dentist to make an appointment when it has been a year since last time you went. Make sure you take advantage of your free check-ups every year!

To find a dentist providing the free dental service for teens in your area, click here...

Find Out More About...

Teeth
Tooth decay
Fluoride
How to enrol with a dentist
Tooth friendly snacks and drinks

Got some oral health questions
you can't find the answers to, call:

0800-TALK TEETH
0800-825 583