A fresh mouth looks beautiful
A healthy mouth allows you to eat and drink without any problems. And a fresh mouth naturally looks beautiful. Good oral care helps you maintain this. Do you know what you need to do to keep your mouth healthy?
Get rid of that plaque
You can buy plaque indicators at the chemist's.
Prevent cavities
To keep your mouth healthy, you need to remove plaque. This white-yellow film is difficult to see and forms on and between your teeth and at the transition to the gums. Plaque consists of bacteria and bacterial products. These are naturally present in your mouth. Almost all of our food and drink contains sugars and starch. Sugars are added to many foods (e.g. soft drinks), but they are also naturally present in products (e.g. fruit). The bacteria in your mouth convert sugars and starch into acids. These acids cause cavities in your teeth.
Prevent inflamed gums
Tandplak veroorzaakt bovendien ontstoken tandvlees. Als je de tandplak niet goed verwijdert, zorgen de bacteriën in de tandplak ervoor dat je tandvlees ontstoken raakt. Niet verwijderde tandplak kan hard worden en verkalken tot tandsteen. Aan tandsteen hecht zich makkelijk weer nieuwe tandplak. Hierdoor raakt het tandvlees steeds meer ontstoken. De ontsteking kan zich uitbreiden en het daaronder gelegen kaakbot aantasten. Uiteindelijk kan er zoveel kaakbot verdwijnen dat je tanden en kiezen los gaan staan.
Do the dental plaque test
Have you brushed properly? Has all the plaque been removed? Check your brushing performance with a plaque disclosing tablet. It is a handy tool for making plaque visible. After brushing your teeth, chew the tablet and spread the dye over your teeth with your tongue. Then rinse away the excess dye with a small sip of water. Can you still see red spots on your teeth? That's plaque. So brush better!
Useful tips for oral care
Electric toothbrush
Do not consume acidic products one hour before brushing your teeth.
Choose sugar-free chewing gum
Brushing your teeth twice a day
Brushing your teeth is the basis for good oral hygiene. It is a meticulous task and certainly not easy. Therefore, brush your teeth twice a day, carefully and not too vigorously. A good brushing takes two minutes. So take your time!
Also between your teeth
Met een tandenborstel alleen kun je de ruimten tussen je tanden en kiezen niet altijd goed schoonmaken. Het maakt hierbij niet uit of je een handtandenborstel of een elektrische tandenborstel gebruikt. Met geen enkele tandenborstel kom je er goed tussen. Je tandarts of mondhygiënist kan je adviseren de ruimten tussen je tanden en kiezen eenmaal per dag te reinigen met ragers, flossdraad of tandenstokers. Vraag je behandelaar welk hulpmiddel het beste bij je past en hoe je het moet gebruiken.
Choose a good toothbrush
Kies een zachte borstel met een kleine borstelkop. Vervang de tandenborstel elke drie maanden of eerder als de haarbosjes uit elkaar gaan staan. Effectief tandenpoetsen kan ook met behulp van een elektrische tandenborstel. Deze maakt de juiste poetsbeweging. Zo kun je je beter concentreren op het plaatsen van de borstelkop in je mond. Ook hier geldt: een nieuwe opzetborstel verwijdert meer tandplak dan een borstel die aan vervanging toe is.
Use fluoride toothpaste
Fluoride maakt tandglazuur sterker en minder goed oplosbaar in zuur. Gebruik daarom tweemaal per dag fluoridetandpasta met 1.000 – 1.500 ppm*) fluoride (zie verpakking).
Eat or drink up to seven times a day
Soft drinks, fruit juices, yoghurt drinks and wine contain acids as well as sugars. You can hardly taste the acid. The sugar overpowers the sour taste. Acids attack your tooth enamel. This causes your teeth to wear down. This form of wear is called tooth erosion. Tooth erosion is a gradual process that is not easy to reverse. It is not just about how much acidic food or drink you consume. The more often you do so and the longer you keep acidic products in your mouth, the greater the risk of tooth erosion. The way you eat or drink also has an impact. Therefore, opt for three main meals a day and have a maximum of four snacks a day. This will give your teeth enough time to recover.
Consume acidic fruit no more than twice a day and drink soft drinks and other acidic beverages in moderation. Water, coffee and regular tea without sugar are not harmful to your teeth.
Do not consume acidic products one hour before brushing your teeth.
The acid attacks the tooth enamel. The brush and toothpaste have an abrasive effect. If you brush your teeth immediately after eating or drinking something acidic, you can easily brush away the tooth enamel. This causes your teeth to wear down even faster.
Sugar-free chewing gum protects your teeth
Did you know that saliva protects your teeth against tooth erosion? Saliva neutralises the acids in food and drinks. Chewing gum stimulates saliva production. Choose sugar-free chewing gum. Xylitol is a natural sweetener. Xylifresh chewing gum with 100% xylitol helps prevent plaque and is recommended by the Ivoren Kruis (Dental Association).
Visit your dentist
Visit your dentist or dental hygienist twice a year. They will check your teeth thoroughly and give you advice on how to keep your mouth healthy.
*) = parts per million
Want to know more?
Then download the free app GezondeMond. The app is available for Android and tablets, available via Google Play. The app for iPhone and iPad can be found in the iTunes App Store..
© Ivory Cross
