World Oral Health Day – By Christine Fischer-Stoess

• March 4, 2014
• Dr. Catherine-Anne Walsh

 Did you know that March is a special month for us here at The Dentist? Not just because of birthdays but because March 20^th is World Oral Health Day!¹ This is, “an international day to celebrate the benefits of a healthy mouth and to promote worldwide awareness of the issues around oral health and the importance of looking after oral hygiene to everyone old and young.”¹ This is important because 90% of the population of the world will have some form of oral disease during their lifetime.¹ That is a huge proportion of the population!

                So, what can you do to make sure that you are in the 10% that is to have a healthy oral environment? I think flossing and brushing is an excellent places to start and that routine visits to your dental specialist will help keep you on track. Perhaps you have been avoiding the dental office lately? There is no time like today to get your health back on track and avoid being in the 90% statistic.

Some tips for at home with your daily homecare routine:

-Brush at least twice a day

-Floss at least once a day

                When brushing, use the softest if needed recyclable toothbrush you can find and try to angle the brush at a 45° angle into the gum line. This allows the brush to sweep away food debris and bacteria and is also gentle on your gum tissue. This technique is called “Bass brushing”² and has been endorsed by the American Dental Association. See the link below at number 2 for more details.

                When flossing, the goal is to clean below the little triangles of gum tissue (interdental papilla) in between your teeth. The floss must remain on the tooth surface in order to clean the tooth.³ If the floss is somewhere else, like in the gum tissue, this can cause tissue trauma and we want you to avoid this! Last but not least, here is the industry secret for pro stars! I would love it if you flossed prior to brushing when you are cleaning your teeth. Please get in touch with the office if you have any questions and remember to have a Happy World Oral Health Day! Celebrate every day from March 20^th forward by flossing your teeth!

1)      http://www.worldoralhealthday.com/about

2)      http://www.ada.org/sections/publicResources/pdfs/teeth_materials_brush.pdf

3)      http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/f/flossing