What does it mean to be dentally fit?

The New Year is usually a time when we try to put the excesses of Christmas behind us and embark on a new, healthier lifestyle. The gyms are packed, the parks full of people walking, cycling and running, and the booze aisles are eerily quiet.

But how can we achieve a healthier smile and what does being dentally fit actually mean? Drayton dentists Debbie Paramani and Vasiliki Stamatoukou from Drayton Dental Care in School Road explain all.

Pink gums

A healthy mouth reflects a healthy body and pink gums are an excellent way of showing us the kind of condition our mouths are in. If your gums bleed when you brush them or are red, inflamed and sore to touch, then these are signs that all is not as well as it could be and indicates that gum disease is present.

Please don’t panic - a staggering 90 per cent of us suffer from gum disease at some point in our lives but with good dental care the risks can be easily controlled.

Getting fit takes a bit of effort

Just like getting physically fit, you have to put some work in. But all we’re asking is about 5 minutes of your day! We should all brush our teeth twice a day for two minutes each, using fluoride toothpaste. On top of that, we strongly recommend using interdental brushes or floss to clean between your teeth. This doesn’t take long but makes an enormous difference to the health of our mouths.

Visit a hygienist

Your mouth deserves to receive professional care to keep it in tip top condition and everyone should visit a dentist at least once a year. Hygiene visits significantly reduce the need for dental treatment in the long term because periodontal (gum) therapy treats existing disease as well as preventing future disease.

Hygiene therapy also helps reduce the risk of developing several serious medical conditions, especially as research links gum disease to arthritis, heart disease, strokes, dementia, diabetes and premature births.

So, if you are looking to improve your mouth fitness in 2020, please get in touch. The door to our School Road dental practice is always open to new patients from Drayton, Taverham, Hellesdon, Horsford, Thorpe Marriott and the surrounding Norwich villages.

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