Tips and Advice For Good Dental Health

Tips and Advice For Good Dental Health

When Should I See a Dentist 

• An infant should start seeing a dentist soon after their first teeth erupt
• A child/adult should then see a dentist regularly – recall intervals will be judged by the dentist

Basic Principles on Brushing

• Brush twice a day for at least two minutes
• Brushing before bed time is the most important
• If using a manual toothbrush, it is advisable to change it every two to three months
• Electric toothbrushes aid in technique with brushing but are not essential

Toothpaste

• Use a fluoridated toothpaste. Please read labels.
• Children up to three years: No less than 1000 ppm (parts per million of fluoride found on the back of the toothpaste)
• Children age 3-6: 1350-1500 ppm
• Adults: 1450-1500 ppm
• Advised to spit don’t rinse after brushing

Mouthwash

• Preferably alcohol free
• Contains fluoride
• Anti-bacterial
• Use separately to brushing

Dietary advice to prevent dental decay for children

• From six months of age infants should be introduced to drinking from a cup
• Babies over 12 months old should be discouraged from feeding from a bottle
• Sugar should not be added to weaning foods
• The frequency and amount of sugary food and drinks should be limited
• Sugar consumed should be limited to mealtimes
• Sugars should not be consumed more than four times per day

Dietary advice to prevent dental decay for adults

• The frequency and amount of sugary food and drinks should be limited
• Sugar consumed, limited to mealtimes
• Sugars should not be consumed more than four times per day
• Sugars (excluding those naturally present in whole fruit) should provide less than 10% of total energy in the diet or less than 60g per person per day which is equivalent to four tablespoons of sugar
• Note that for young children this will be around 33 g per day which is equivalent to two tablespoons of sugar
• Most sugars in your diet are contained in processed and manufactured foods and drinks
• Potentially decay-causing foods and drinks include:
  • sugar and chocolate confectionery
  • cakes and biscuits
  • buns, pastries, fruit pies
  • sponge puddings and other puddings
  • table sugar
  • sugared breakfast cereals
  • jams, preserves, honey
  • ice cream
  • fruit in syrup
  • fresh fruit juices
  • sugared soft drinks
  • sugared, milk-based beverages
  • sugar-containing alcoholic drinks
  • dried fruits
  • syrups and sweet sauces.

It is important to recognise that honey, fresh fruit juice and dried fruit also contain decay-causing sugars.

Dietary advice to reduce risk of oral cancer

To lower your risk of developing oral cancer:

• reduce alcohol consumption to moderate (recommended) levels
• maintain good dietary practices
  
• increase fruit and vegetable intake to at least five portions per day.

Dietary advice to prevent dental tooth wear (erosion)

• avoid frequent intake of acidic foods or drinks – keep them to mealtimes
• laboratory studies have shown that the following types of drinks, foods and medication have erosive potential:
  • drinks containing citric acid – e.g orange
  • grapefruit, lemon, blackcurrant
  • carbonated drinks
  • alcopops and designer drinks
  • cider
  • white wine
  • fruit teas (but not camomile)
  • some sports drinks which contain acid
  • acidic fresh fruit – lemons, oranges, grapefruit – that are consumed with high frequency
  • pickles
  • chewable vitamin C tablets, aspirin, some iron preparations.