Don’t Ignore The ‘Hidden’ Parts Of Your Mouth

Why “whole of mouth” cleaning is important!

Having great looking teeth is important for a large section of the population and an increase in the number of patients seeking treatments such as teeth whitening and veneers indicates that this trend may continue for some time. However nice our smile looks though, if we pay insufficient attention to the less visible parts of our teeth, we may soon run into trouble, with decay and gum disease becoming real possibilities.

If we only clean our teeth superficially, just focusing on the easy-to-reach front surfaces or those near the front of our mouth, then there is an increased risk that we will need to have dental treatment to restore them at some point.

Rear teeth

Although they are very important in the chewing and breaking down of our food, our rear teeth are generally less visible, apart from when we yawn or laugh out loud. This can lead to some people giving them only a cursory brushing; but to do this would be a mistake and cavities and gum problems are a likely consequence if you do.

Even those who try to brush diligently, may still miss out some of the important areas at the back of the rear teeth. These can be quite tricky to reach but you should still clean the area as best as you can. We also recommend that you use floss and see the hygienist at Alexandra Dental Care on a regular basis as an aid to keeping all of your teeth strong and healthy.

Front teeth

Our front ‘social six’ teeth are the ones that are most visible when we smile and orthodontic systems such as ‘Six Month Smiles‘, can help realign them quickly where they are crooked. Our front teeth are also important in the initial cutting and tearing of our food, but they can be prone to enamel erosion if we consume too many acidic foods and drinks.

So it is very important to brush both our front and rear teeth as they all have important roles to play in our mouths. Wherever the enamel becomes compromised, bacteria can enter, leading to tooth decay and sensitivity. Root canal infections and even extractions may result if we don’t take appropriate care.

Whilst restorations such as dental veneers, fillings and crowns are available to repair teeth which have been compromised, it is far better to prevent damage from happening in the first place. Your diet, home teeth cleaning care and regular dental check ups are an essential part of this. If you would like to see one of the dentists at Alexandra Dental Care, you can arrange an appointment by calling us on 01283 216347. We look forward to helping you in keeping your oral health firmly on track!

Google+