Cleaning The ‘Difficult’ Areas Of The Mouth

Routine brushing of the teeth is good, but pay special attention to those trickier areas to keep clean!

Morning and evening, most of us head to the bathroom to brush our teeth. Some of us may even time ourselves to make sure that we brush them for long enough. We might feel that we are being thorough when we do so, but there are some areas of the mouth that are more difficult to keep clean than others and we are going to take a look at them in today’s Foxhall Dental Practice blog.

We hope that this will give you some food for thought and help you to focus on these areas a little more next time you go to clean your teeth.

Rear teeth

Some people find cleaning the rear teeth difficult and for some it might even elicit a gag reflex response. Most people do manage to clean the rear teeth though and as the surface of these teeth have pits or fissures and trap food easily, it make good sense to do so. Perhaps the most difficult part of these teeth to reach is at the back, where access with your toothbrush can be tricky. You should definitely try though but also make sure that you use floss to remove any food that becomes trapped in that area.

Gum line

Your gum health is important, yet this is an area that is sometimes neglected when we clean our teeth. Tiny particles of food and bacteria can easily become trapped between the gums and the teeth. You should make sure that you point the toothbrush bristles towards the gum, making sure that they reach into the gum line to keep the area clean. Rinsing the mouth with water after a meal is a good and simple way to start this removal process off.

Interdental spaces

In addition to ensuring that you clean around the gum line, you should also focus on the spaces between the teeth, known as ‘interdental’ spaces. This is an area where food can easily become trapped and where toothbrush bristles may not easily reach. It is for this reason that tooth decay often occurs in this area. Swishing water around the mouth after eating each meal will certainly help to remove some of this, and you should certainly brush as well as you can to remove even more. One of the most effective things that you can do though is to start using dental floss. It is a cheap and very effective way of keeping these areas clean. Our Ipswich hygienist will be happy to demonstrate how to do this if you find it difficult to do.

Wisdom teeth

The wisdom teeth are at the rear of the mouth and as such, the same ‘rules’ apply as for any rear teeth. Wisdom teeth can be more problematic though in that they don’t always erupt as they should. If they only partially erupt or do so crookedly, it becomes easier for bacteria to collect and this can soon result in some significant pain and discomfort and the wisdom tooth may need to be extracted. From a cleaning perspective, you should clean your wisdom teeth the same as for the general rear teeth. It is essential though that you make sure to keep six monthly check up appointments with your Ipswich dentists to monitor their progress so that any painful infections can be avoided.

Orthodontics

If you wear a fixed orthodontic, you will need to pay special attention when cleaning your teeth. Food and bacteria can easily become trapped in the wiring and insufficient cleaning may lead to tooth decay. You should brush your teeth thoroughly, focussing on problematic areas. You should also follow any advice given to you by the orthodontist regarding keeping your teeth and gums healthy while you are wearing them. If you currently don’t wear orthodontics but are considering it, we recommend that you discuss removable braces, such as Invisialign with us, as this resolves this particular issue altogether.

Bridges, veneers, crowns and implants

As with the above, any artificial restoration or tooth replacement can bring its own challenges. While the crown etc won’t decay, it can be all too easy to neglect the natural tooth that it is attached to, and which of course, can decay. If this happens, your restoration might become detached and a new one supplied following the restoration of the decayed tooth. Bridges also require diligent cleaning and dental implants can become loose or even fail if you neglect the area around them – unfortunately both periodontitis and peri-implantitis are real threats to your implant. Good quality brushing and flossing is essential in these cases and any advice given by the dentist at our practice should be followed to ensure the best outcome.

A combination of good home cleaning, professional cleaning by the hygienist and regular monitoring by a dentist are the best ways to maintain a healthy set of teeth and gums. To make an appointment at the Foxhall Dental Practice, please call us on  01473 258396.