We all buy Oral Care products and we all use them, but just how good are they and do they really do what they claim to do asks a London dentist. Most of the products we buy these days will contain the usual suspects, so to speak, these are chemicals that claim to cure our oral hygiene problems. The truth in some cases is that many of these products actually do more harm than good, and we should really look at natural ways to keep our teeth and breath fresh and clean. Sucking on mints will just load your mouth with sugar or some kind of artificial sweeteners, these will in the long term help to breed bacterium which will in turn produce acid, acid that will eat away at your teeth enamel and cause you tooth loss and infections. This is all because we think that sucking a mint will cure our bad breath. Mouth washes will contain chemicals that are suppose to neutralise the bacterium that causes bad breath, however all they`ll usually do is to give your mouth a minty wash out and remove bacterium that ordinary tap water will remove anyway. All water contains the natural element Fluoride, this is an alkaline element that will kill off bacterium and stop acid from eating away your teeth enamel. Many tooth pastes claim to whiten your teeth, this can only be accomplished if you spend a lot of hours grinding away the discolouration. There are no strong chemicals in tooth paste that can bleach your teeth. Bleaching is a tried and tested method of teeth whitening. Most tooth pastes that claim this contain an abrasive that will just take off your top layer of enamel if you use it enough times. The best way to clean breath and healthy teeth is flossing, brushing and constant water washes, especially at night when the saliva glands stop working

Unlike walking and talking, oral care doesn’t come natural to our children, we have to teach them that little trick ourselves and the earlier the better advises a London dentist. The trick here is to start early and make it a family fun thing, kids love to associate fun and happy things to new learning activities. It is also important to talk to them and describe in kids chat what happens when they do something. Let’s take flossing, even little folk need to floss and if you explain that this gets rid of food debris in between the teeth, they will be able to relate to that and will be thinking about it as they do it. Brushing in itself is an art form, many adults don`t know how to brush their teeth properly, and so they need to see the dental surgery hygiene nurse. Take the kids to the chemist and let them be part of the process of choosing a brush, get them and the assistant in the chemist to talk about which one is best, and why. They will notice the word Fluoride on many products, fluoride is a natural element found in water sources all over the world, even the designer ones. Contrary to common belief fluoride isn`t put into our water, it is good for kids to know what it is and why it is good for us. Fluoride is an alkaline that neutralises acid in the mouth, this acid eats away at our teeth and is the main cause of early tooth loss. Fluoride also coats the teeth to protect it from bacteria. If kids are aware of oral care and why it is so important, you`ll find that they will look after their teeth. In the long run that will save you a lot of money with less time spent in the dentist`s chair.

Having healthy teeth isn’t a gift, it isn’t a lucky thing either, it is a by-product of having a healthy attitude to oral care. That attitude is best taught when someone is a child; eating habits and dental hygiene are an important part of our education. We teach our children the rights and wrongs of life, so if we exclude dental care we aren’t doing our jobs properly as parents. There’s an old saying that goes “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for life”, what great wisdom there is in that saying. If we take the literacy of that and apply it to dental and oral care, we will be doing our children a great service. Not only will they have their teeth longer, but we won’t have to sit outside the dentist room so often, while they get treatment that could be avoided with a little common sense. Eating the right food isn’t only good for our diet, but it is also good for our teeth. When we eat food we chew it first, and in this process we produce saliva that helps us swallow and break down the food into energy. However, this process also produces bad bacteria that damage our teeth, often beyond repair. Teeth aren’t only just for childhood; they can be for life if we use a little common sense, and an early learnt routine of oral care. Oral care isn’t just about brushing, flossing and mouth washes, it is also about healthy eating and keeping bad bacteria to a minimum. Fish, fresh fruit and vegetables as well as sugarless drinks will help us to keep tooth decay to a minimum, as well as those expensive dental bills as adults.