Tips from Emily, a Dental Therapist, for maintaining oral health during the lockdown.

This is a very difficult time for everyone, sadly due to the current situation, all routine dental appointments have been postponed, so how can we maintain our oral health if our dental appointment has been cancelled?

1) Keep brushing!

THE most effective thing to do is to continue with good brushing habits. Daily plaque removal with your toothbrush and interdental brushes is far more effective than a one off dental visit! The most common excuse I hear from patients for not brushing long enough or not using floss/interdental brushes is TIME – well now you have tonnes of it so use it well!

2) Watch your diet

Many of us have increased our snacking as we are at home much more. Everytime we eat food, whether it is 1 biscuit or 10 biscuits, we are putting sugar into our mouth which turns to acid and damages the teeth. So the more frequently we eat something, the more likely a hole will form. Try to stick to mealtimes, if you have a snack in between meals avoid something sugary, and brush 30mins after eating.

3) Changing your toothbrush

If you have had symptoms of the virus you should replace your toothbrush once fully recovered. Keep family member toothbrushes away from each other, and clean the bathroom regularly.

4) Smoking cessation

Try using this time to focus on a new hobby and try to use this to cut down smoking, unfortunately due to the amount of time we have, and the stress, people will be smoking more- try to focus your time on cooking, fitness or meditation. Think of the money you could save by quitting smoking, some people are out of work or on 80% of their salary so any money saving is a benefit. And the money you save could be put towards something to look forward to when “life is back to normal”.

5) Be kind

Remember everyone is under a lot of stress, pressure and worry. Be kind to all of the key workers that are helping look after ALL OF US. None of us have known a situation like this before and therefore we can only learn and do our best.

6) Stay at home!

Now is a great time for self reflection, spending time with the family and getting those jobs done that you have been putting off for years. Always look to see the positives in a bad situation.

and Always Remember…

If you would like to speak to Kev for some dental advice, drop us a message below on our contact form or come and check us out at: https://www.facebook.com/kevthedentist/ or https://www.instagram.com/kevthedentist/