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A healthy mouth is an important part of a healthy body. To keep your mouth healthy and free of disease, visit your dentist regularly. Between visits eat a well-balanced diet and practise a good oral health routine that includes proper brushing and flossing ever day.

When you brush and floss, you are removing plaque. Plaque is an invisible and sticky film that forms on your teeth everyday. It contains bacteria (germs) and is the main cause of cavities and gum disease. The only way to remove plaque is by brushing and flossing your teeth.

Brush your teeth and tongue twice a day and always before you go to bed to remove the bacteria that causes tooth decay. Tooth decay is a serious disease that starts just below the surface of the tooth. If left untreated, this disease can damage the structure of the tooth and eventually lead to a cavity (hole) in your tooth. Here’s how. When sugars in foods and drinks that you consume mix with the bacteria in plaque, this makes a mild acid. This acid forms in the plaque, causing tooth decay to slowly eat away at the enamel (hard outer layer of your tooth). Over time, the enamel gets soft and a cavity forms.

Floss your teeth every day. Flossing removes plaque and bacteria that you cannot reach with your toothbrush. If you don’t floss, you are missing more than one-third of your tooth surface. If plaque is not removed from around your gums, it hardens into tartar and can cause gum disease. Tartar can only de removed by professional cleaning by your dentist or another member of the dental team. It cannot be removed by brushing.

How to brush your teeth

Use a soft brush with rounded bristles. Choose a size and shape that will let you reach all the way to your back teeth. Replace your toothbrush every 3 to 6 months. If the bristles get bent or worn down, they will not do a good job and may hurt your gums.

1. Be sure to clean your hands before brushing.

2. Use a small amount of fluoride toothpaste on your brush. Wet your brush before squeezing on the toothpaste.

3. Brush at a 45-degree angle to your teeth. Start by placing the bristles at the base of the tooth where your gums and teeth meet. Using gentle brush strokes move the brush to the top of the tooth, Do not scrub. Years of brushing too hard can make your gums recede (pull away from your teeth).

4. Clean every surface of every tooth. This means you must brush the cheek side, the tongue side and the biting surface of each tooth. For the inside of the front teeth, use the ‘’toe’’ or front part of the brush. Brush your tongue.

5. Slow down. A good brushing should take 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Rinse your mouth with water.

If you’re not sure that you are brushing properly, ask your dentist advice.

PIC: Brush at a 45-degree angle.

PIC: Brush outer surfaces of your teeth.

PIC: Brush the inner and the chewing surfaces of the teeth.

PIC: Brush your tongue.

Problems brushing?

If holding your toothbrush is difficult due to arthritis or some other health condition, ask your dentist to recommend one of the larger-handled toothbrushes designed especially for persons with limited mobility in the hand, fingers and wrist. You can also try enlarging the handle of your toothbrush with a sponge, several layers of aluminium foil, or a bicycle handle grip. Many patients find a power-operated toothbrush helpful. Discuss this option with your dentist.

PIC: Wrap the floss around your middle fingers.

PIC: Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and index fingers.

PIC: Wipe the tooth from the gum line to the top of the tooth.

How to floss

1. Be sure to clean your hands before flossing.

2. Take a piece of floss about as long as your arm. Wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches between your hands. Hold the floss tightly between your thumb and index fingers.

3. Using your thumbs and index fingers, gently guide the floss between your teeth to the gum line. Wrap the floss into a ‘’C’’ shape around the base of the tooth

4. Wipe the tooth from the gum line to the top of the tooth 2 or 3 times in a gentle rubbing motion. Don’t push too hard to get the floss between your teeth. This can snap the floss into the gums and hurt them.

5. Be sure to floss both sides of each tooth. Don’t forget the backs of the last molars.

6. Move to a new part of the floss as you move from tooth to tooth.

7. When you floss, bacteria from your mouth can spread to your hands, so be sure to wash your hands after flossing.

If you’re not sure that you are flossing your teeth properly, ask your dentist for advice.

Problems flossing?

Gums sometimes bleed when you first begin to floss. This will most likely stop after a few days. If after a few days of flossing the bleeding does not stop, see your dentist.

Floss can shred if you snag it on an old filling or on the ragged edge of a tooth. If this continues to happen, try another type of floss or dental tape. Your dentist can recommend one. If your floss continues to shred, tell your dentist.

If flossing feels awkward, try using a plastic floss holder. Your dentist can recommend one. Dental tape may also be easier to use, as it is wider and easier to grasp than floss.

Some people find making a loop with the dental floss easier to use. To do this, take about 12 inches (30 cm) of floss and make a knot in it. You will have a circle or a loop that you can hold between your thumbs and index fingers. Use the same method to floss as described on page 5.

With regular dental visits, healthy lifestyle choices and a good health routine, you can be sure you are doing the very best for your oral health.