Dental Health Week With Main Beach Dental!
Main Beach Dental stands hand in hand with the Australian Dental Association (ADA) in support of Dental Health Week (6 to 12 August). Dental Health Week is the ADA’s annual major oral health event.
It’s designed to further educate Australians about the importance of maintaining good oral health by promoting four key messages.
Why is this important? Consider the following worrisome statistics:
- About half of Australians only brush once-a-day
- Nearly 40% never floss or clean-in-between their teeth
- 65% of Australians haven’t seen a dentist in the last two years
- Just over 73% of young people (14-18 years) consume too much sugar
During Dental Health Week 2018, the ADA gives 4 pieces of advice to Australians.
- Brush with fluoride toothpaste
- Clean in-between teeth
- Eat a healthy balanced diet and limit sugar intake
- Visit your Main Beach dentist on a regular schedule
Brush with fluoride toothpaste
Many of us don’t think much how teeth should be brushed. Instead, we slap some toothpaste onto a brush and scrub back and forth. But as your Main Beach Dental dentist or hygienist will tell you, how you brush your teeth matters a great deal, and brushing incorrectly can even damage your teeth and gums!
Here’s what you should do:
- Brush your teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day.
- Use a soft-bristled toothbrush with a flexible neck and small head.
- Clean your teeth systematically, holding the toothbrush at the gum line at a 45 degree angle.
- Don’t press too hard – too much pressure can damage gums & tooth enamel.
Choose the proper toothpaste
Many toothpastes are available, but be certain to choose one containing fluoride. Fluoride fights decay by making teeth more resistant to attacks from sugar and acid. Fluoride can also remineralise enamel, fighting early decay.
Depending on your risk of dental decay and other conditions your Main Beach Dental dentist will recommend a type of toothpaste best suited to you.
In general, don’t use toothpaste with children below 18 months of age. Children from 18 months to six years, should use a dab of low fluoride toothpaste. Adults should supervise children until the age of eight, to be sure they don’t swallow the toothpaste.
Clean in-between teeth
The ADA has several suggestions for best-practice flossing:
- Make flossing part of your oral hygiene regimen.
- Floss at least once a day.
- Ask your dentist to demonstrate the correct flossing technique.
- Ask your dentist if interdental aids will complement your flossing.
- Your children should be flossed as soon as they have teeth that touch.
And the technique they recommend:
- Wind approximately 45 cm of floss around your middle fingers and grip it tightly between your thumbs and index fingers.
- Keeping your thumb and index close together, gently guide the floss between the teeth, being careful to avoid cuts or damage your gums from sudden movement. Use a side-to-side technique to make sure the sides of both teeth are cleaned equally.
- To clean the area at which the tooth meets the gums, curl the floss around and work it gently under the gum.
If those solutions do not work, your Main Beach Dental dentist can suggest alternatives including:
- Interdental brushes
- Dental pick
- Water irrigation
- Power Flossers
Eat a healthy balanced diet and limit sugar intake
The other aspect of good dental health is to eat a variety of nutritious foods from each of the five major food groups, including:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Lean protein including some meats; dry beans, peas and other legumes
- Low-fat and fat-free dairy foods
If you snack, choose mouth-healthy foods. But try not to snack as foods eaten during meals are less harmful than snacks, as more saliva is released during a meal. Saliva helps wash foods from the mouth, helps defend the teeth, and decreases the effects of acids, which can harm teeth and cause cavities.
Learn more about sugar and your oral health here:
Visit your Main Beach Dental dentist on a regular schedule
Once again, the ADA has suggestions!
- Regular dental check-ups are essential to good oral health
- Visit your Main Beach Dental dentist regularly, preferably twice a year!
- Dentists can uncover problems that you might not notice, including tooth decay and gum disease.
- The Australian Dental Association (ADA) website (www.ada.org.au) has a ‘Find a Dentist’ search tool.
As our contribution to Dental Health Week, Main Beach Dental is offering the following promotions:
- Free dental consultation for Dental Checkup,
- Free dental consultation for Smile Makeover,
- Free dental consultation for Implant Dentistry
- Same Day Emergency Appointment
Dental Care at Main Beach Dental
At Main Beach Dental your dental health is our number one priority. We provide gentle, skilled care for all dental conditions and work with you to prevent disease, decay, and too many dental appointments in the future. Our commitment to our patients is dental health for a lifetime!
Call (07) 5503 1177 or visit us at 11/26-30 Tedder Ave. in Main Beach.