CAMBRIDGE DENTAL PRACTICE. CAMBRIDGE DENTAL PRACTICE INTERDENTAL CLEANING Dr Rosalind Peart First off, an apology. Hopefully not too many of you have been rinsing with mouthwash for 30 minutes!!! I'm not even sure that's physically possible. There was an error in an article a couple of weeks ago. Of course it should have read "rinse for 30 seconds." My good friend Michelle who is a practice nurse has asked me to include this topic in particular in an article. While it may seem trivial or dull it certainly is a crucial part of maintaining good oral health. When I'm trying to convince pecople it's a good idea l'l often suggest they run a piece of floss through their teeth down near the gum when they haven't done it for a few days and give it a sniff. It ain't pleasant. While that's a somewhat base approach it certainly get's the point across. The areas in between our teeth are perfect harbours for bacteria and brushing alone does not remove them. They will sit there with a bacterial plaque. That needs to be physically removed first before the mouthwash can have any positive effect. So, what to do? Floss, floss, floss Technique is important. As ridiculous as it sounds most of us have no clue how to do it properly. Worst case scenario is that people hurt themselves with their floss, they traumatise the gums and just spread some bugs around. There are alternatives to floss such as interdental brushes or floss that you can thread in some way. These can be useful in certain areas or for whatever reasons a person may find using floss difficult or even impossible. Go and visit your hygienist and let them show you what tools and what techniques will work best for you. Like all things in life, attention to detail hugely improves the outcome. Getting this right will prevent the most usual recurrent tooth decay and go a long way to preventing the onset of "gum disease" and multiply furiously causing all manner of problems. Just an extra, "Gum disease" is the leading cause of tooth loss and is entirely preventable with good oral hygiene technique and maintenance. Why wouldn't you? Most people when I ask them use floss or interdental tools infrequently at best. They also imagine that rinsing with a mouthwash after brushing will get to any areas the brush hasn't. Not so,it cannot get to a tooth surface, root surface or gum that is coated Kind Regards, Ros. 9A Anzac Street I (Opposite New World) I Tel: 07 8275079 I www.cambridgedental.co.nz CAMBRIDGE DENTAL PRACTICE. CAMBRIDGE DENTAL PRACTICE INTERDENTAL CLEANING Dr Rosalind Peart First off, an apology. Hopefully not too many of you have been rinsing with mouthwash for 30 minutes!!! I'm not even sure that's physically possible. There was an error in an article a couple of weeks ago. Of course it should have read "rinse for 30 seconds." My good friend Michelle who is a practice nurse has asked me to include this topic in particular in an article. While it may seem trivial or dull it certainly is a crucial part of maintaining good oral health. When I'm trying to convince pecople it's a good idea l'l often suggest they run a piece of floss through their teeth down near the gum when they haven't done it for a few days and give it a sniff. It ain't pleasant. While that's a somewhat base approach it certainly get's the point across. The areas in between our teeth are perfect harbours for bacteria and brushing alone does not remove them. They will sit there with a bacterial plaque. That needs to be physically removed first before the mouthwash can have any positive effect. So, what to do? Floss, floss, floss Technique is important. As ridiculous as it sounds most of us have no clue how to do it properly. Worst case scenario is that people hurt themselves with their floss, they traumatise the gums and just spread some bugs around. There are alternatives to floss such as interdental brushes or floss that you can thread in some way. These can be useful in certain areas or for whatever reasons a person may find using floss difficult or even impossible. Go and visit your hygienist and let them show you what tools and what techniques will work best for you. Like all things in life, attention to detail hugely improves the outcome. Getting this right will prevent the most usual recurrent tooth decay and go a long way to preventing the onset of "gum disease" and multiply furiously causing all manner of problems. Just an extra, "Gum disease" is the leading cause of tooth loss and is entirely preventable with good oral hygiene technique and maintenance. Why wouldn't you? Most people when I ask them use floss or interdental tools infrequently at best. They also imagine that rinsing with a mouthwash after brushing will get to any areas the brush hasn't. Not so,it cannot get to a tooth surface, root surface or gum that is coated Kind Regards, Ros. 9A Anzac Street I (Opposite New World) I Tel: 07 8275079 I www.cambridgedental.co.nz