Over the last several months, we have all grown more and more aware of the transmission of microbes and how we can prevent them. Hand washing is crucial in protecting ourselves and those around us, but what about our oral hygiene? Arguably this is just as important as very often, the microbes are living inside our throat and may be transmitted to others through various ways. We are also aware that you will be missing your routine dental hygiene visits with one of our expert dental hygienists or dentists due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Here are our top 5 tips to help maintain your dental hygiene until we are allowed to resume our usual hygiene services:

1. Always remember the golden dental hygiene recommendations

Brush twice daily with ideally a fluoride toothpaste last thing at night and at least one other time during the day.

Drink plenty of water and cut down on how much and how often you have sugary snacks and drinks.

Clean between your teeth every day with interdental brushes or floss and consider using mouthwash. If you are running out of your staple products, feel free to email us to pre-order what you need and simply pay over the phone/online. We will arrange a suitable time for you to collect your products as we are not allowed to have any walk-ins for the time being.

2. Mouthwash can be a great adjunct to your routine

Mouthwash can get to areas where your toothbrush/floss may not easily reach, however it does not replace these essential tools.
Always remember to use mouthwash at a different time of day to when you do your toothbrushing routine so that you don’t wash your toothpaste off.
Once you have brushed your teeth it’s important to spit out the excess toothpaste and NOT rinse, rinsing straight after brushing reduces the effect of the fluoride in the toothpaste and prevents it from doing its job.

How about using a mouthwash in the middle of the day, after lunch instead?

3. Always change your toothbrush regularly

It’s important to change your toothbrush, or brush head, at least every three months. If the bristles become frayed, you might need to change it even earlier as it will be less effective.

Changing your brush regularly also helps prevent the spread of bacteria. If you have had the coronavirus (or suspect that you may have), get a new toothbrush or brush head to prevent the spread of microbes.

4. Never share a toothbrush

You should never share a toothbrush with anyone else. We would also advise that you ensure your toothbrush heads are also kept apart from each other wherever you and the rest of your household store your toothbrushes. Get a new brush if any member of the household has any symptoms of Covid-19.

It is possible for disease to spread if bacteria or viruses are transmitted through close contact of brushes.

5. Always clean your bathroom regularly

Our bathrooms are the place where many of us store our toothbrushes, towels, flannels and other intimate items.

It’s also the place we go in order to get clean. So it’s important that the surfaces in your bathroom generally are cleaned regularly using ideally a bleach-based (chlorine) cleaning product. The coronavirus has been shown to be killed by the use of soap and chlorine products, which are essential in keeping infections at bay.