Good dental care at home is for removing the daily build-up of plaque and food debris from your teeth. You should brush your teeth at least twice a day, for two minutes each time, and you should floss once-a-day. This simple routine will probably take less than ten minutes each day, but will help your natural teeth last for longer, preferably for life.

Choosing Your Toothbrush

Ideally, pick a toothbrush with soft to medium bristles that are rounded at the ends, and don’t brush your teeth too hard as you could damage your tooth enamel and gums. It can be useful to think of your mouth being split into four sections or quadrants. Try to concentrate on cleaning each section for approximately 30 seconds, and make sure you clean the surfaces of every single tooth. Electric toothbrushes can be very useful as they have built-in timers indicating when to move on to the next section of your mouth, but there’s no reason why a manual toothbrush shouldn’t be just as effective if properly used.

Effective Flossing

Most people make the mistake of being too stingy with their dental floss, as you need to break off a length of approximately 45 cm. This will allow you plenty of floss to use a fresh section for each tooth so you don’t simply transfer plaque and food debris to another part of your mouth. Make sure you take the dental floss right down to and just below your gum line as plaque bacteria tend to congregate in these areas.

Ask Us for Help and Advice

We can advise you on the best toothbrush and dental floss to use, and can give you a quick demonstration on how to brush and floss more effectively. If you find it awkward to use dental floss or have limited dexterity, ask us about alternatives such as oral irrigators and interdental brushes. We take preventative dental care extremely seriously, and are always more than willing to spend time with you on improving your home care routine.

For help or advice on good dental care, contact us on

45 Grace Avenue Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 (02) 9451 0800