Oral Health Care
This section could help you improving your knowledge about oral health care. It covers the following topics:
Toothbrush
Selection of a Proper Toothbrush
A proper toothbrush allows you to reach most tooth surfaces and remove plaque at gum margins. The size of the head of an adult toothbrush should be as long as the diameter of a one-dollar coin whereas children ones should have the size of a 50-cent coin. A worn-out toothbrush should be replaced as it affects proper cleaning and harms your gum.
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Electric Toothbrush
An electric toothbrush provides the same cleaning performance as a manual toothbrush. A good toothbrushing habit is of paramount importance. You should seek professional advice before using an electric toothbrush.
Toothpaste
| Fluoride toothpaste should be used. Fluoride strengthens teeth and prevents decay. A very small amount of toothpaste, about the size of a pea, is sufficient for each brushing. As for young children, toothpaste is used only if they are able to rinse and spit. This avoids excessive fluoride ingestion. |
Fluoride helps fixing the eroded tooth surface.
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Dental Floss
The Use of Dental Floss
| Dental floss is highly recommended as there are inaccessible areas such as adjacent tooth surfaces and some tooth surfaces that cannot be thoroughly cleaned by a toothbrush. |
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Flossing Technique
The proper method of flossing should be demonstrated by your dentist or dental therapists.
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| Use a piece of dental floss of approximately 20 to 25 cm long and tie both ends to make a loop | Hold the floss tightly between the thumbs and forefingers of both hands, leaving about 2 cm of floss in between. Use a back and forth motion to gently slide the floss towards the gum between the teeth | Wrap the floss around one tooth and gently slide it up and down against the tooth. Wrap the floss around the other tooth and repeat the sliding motion | Release a clean portion of the floss and repeat the same procedures for the rest of the surfaces between the teeth |
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| Use a piece of dental floss of approximately 20 to 25 cm long and tie both ends to make a loop |
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| Hold the floss tightly between the thumbs and forefingers of both hands, leaving about 2 cm of floss in between. Use a back and forth motion to gently slide the floss towards the gum between the teeth |
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| Wrap the floss around one tooth and gently slide it up and down against the tooth. Wrap the floss around the other tooth and repeat the sliding motion |
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| Release a clean portion of the floss and repeat the same procedures for the rest of the surfaces between the teeth |
Mouthwash
Mouthrinsing is not a substitute for toothbrushing and flossing. It may not be able to remove plaque or prevent tooth decay and gum diseases effectively. It can only be used as an adjunct for some individuals who have orthodontic treatment or those who are at high risk of dental decay. You should seek advice and guidance from dentists or dental therapists about mouthrinsing. Participants of the School Dental Care Service can seek advice from the clinic staff at the school dental clinics.
Dietary Habit
Tooth decay is most likely affected by our eating habit. Bacteria in your mouth can produce acids from food that we eat. Our saliva can neutralize these acids. However, if we eat too often, our saliva will not have sufficient time to neutralize the acids, and this leads to tooth decay. To prevent tooth decay, we should reduce the frequency of eating.
Bacteria can produce acid from food accumulated as plaque on tooth surface.
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Acid demineralises and weakens tooth surface.
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Acid will be neutralized by saliva in 30-45 minutes. Mineral in saliva will be absorbed into the tooth to remineralize it.
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Bacteria can produce acid from food accumulated as plaque on tooth surface.
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Acid demineralises and weakens tooth surface.
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Acid will be neutralized by saliva in 30-45 minutes. Mineral in saliva will be absorbed into the tooth to remineralize it.
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Fissure Sealant
Teeth with narrow and deep fissures on the chewing surfaces are more prone to dental decay because :
- dental plaque easily accumulates in deep fissures,
- bristles of toothbrush cannot reach and clean these areas.
Fissure sealant can prevent dental decay. Only dental professionals can apply fissure sealant.
If you have any questions, please consult your dentist.
Before Treatment
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Fissure sealant is a tooth-coloured resin, which is well adhered to the enamel of the tooth. Fissure sealant seals off the fissure of a tooth to prevent plaque accumulation.
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After Treatment
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Before Treatment
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Fissure sealant is a tooth-coloured resin, which is well adhered to the enamel of the tooth. Fissure sealant seals off the fissure of a tooth to prevent plaque accumulation.
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After Treatment
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Toothbrushing
Establishing a Good Toothbrushing Habit in Children
Young children need parental help in establishing a good toothbrushing habit. Parents should encourage their children to brush their teeth twice a day - once in the morning and once before going to bed. This will maintain their interest and promote parent-child relationship.
Toothbrushing Technique
There are many toothbrushing techniques. We recommend the following steps:
Place the head of the toothbrush with the tips of the bristles at an angle to the gum line;
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Move the brush in small scrubbing motions gently. Work on two or three teeth only at one time;
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Develop a regular systematic pattern to clean the outer, inner and chewing surfaces of all the upper and lower teeth.
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Place the head of the toothbrush with the tips of the bristles at an angle to the gum line;
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Move the brush in small scrubbing motions gently. Work on two or three teeth only at one time;
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Develop a regular systematic pattern to clean the outer, inner and chewing surfaces of all the upper and lower teeth.
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NB It usually takes 2 to 3 minutes to thoroughly clean all the teeth.
