Frequently
Asked Questions

You should brush your teeth twice a day.

Your toothbrush should have soft bristles. If the bristles are too hard, they will scratch your gums and cause them to bleed. The head of the toothbrush should be small enough to reach all the areas of your mouth, especially at the back. Therefore, the toothbrush head should not be too large.

You should ideally either brush your teeth just before eating, or wait at least an hour after a meal before brushing. This is in order to prevent tooth erosion. How does tooth erosion work? Many foods contain acids, especially fizzy drinks (including fizzy water) and fruit juice. When you eat or drink these foods, your teeth are exposed to this acid which then slightly softens the tooth enamel. Therefore, it’s best not to brush immediately after eating since the tooth enamel will be the softest at this time. Rather wait an hour before brushing.

Flossing is the most common way of cleaning between your teeth in order to remove plaque. It involves using a piece of dental floss which looks like cotton thread. You break off about 30-40cm of floss and wind the ends around a finger from each hand. Then grab the floss between the thumbs and first finger to obtain a tight 3-4 cm section which you can pull between teeth. Gently scrape the floss against the sides of each tooth from the gum outwards. Use a fresh piece of floss each time. When you first begin to floss, your gums may bleed a little. This is normal and should stop after a few days. If your gums continue to bleed, then you should see a dentist since regular bleeding may indicate gum disease.

Most cases of gum disease are plaque-related. Plaque contains many different types of bacteria and a build-up of some types of bacteria is associated with developing gum disease.