Parenting

New dates are available for a free course for parents and carers of children aged 2-5 years, delivered from six of Central Bedfordshire Council’s children’s centres. The ‘Parenting Puzzle’ programme supports parents and carers to develop strategies to reduce the challenges and stress of parenting and prepare children for school. It’s also a great place to meet other parents and carers within the area. Parents can choose to attend either a 4-week or

Two minutes twice a day

Brushing for two minutes last thing at night and at one other time during the day with a fluoride toothpaste is key to maintaining good oral health.

Daily brushing is important because it removes plaque. If the plaque isn't removed, it continues to build up, feeding on the bits of food left behind and causing tooth decay and gum disease.

Start interdental cleaning

Brushing may come before flossing in the dictionary, but it shouldn’t when it comes to our teeth. Research shows that interdental cleaning before brushing is the best way to clean our teeth effectively. Studies show that those of us who interdentally clean before brushing are left with a much cleaner mouth than those who did it afterwards.

Spit, don’t rinse

After we have brushed our teeth, we should spit out the toothpaste. At this point we might be tempted to rinse our mouth out, but if we do, we’ll be washing away the fluoride which continues to help protect the teeth. Fluoride is the most important ingredient in toothpaste. It greatly helps oral health by strengthening the tooth enamel, making it more resistant to tooth decay.

Try a fluoride mouthwash

You can provide a boost to your oral health by using a fluoride mouthwash as it helps to clear the mouth of debris. It can also help you stop plaque from building-up on our gums, in-between our teeth, and on the surface of our teeth in between brushing.

Mouthwash can help to freshen our breath by killing the bacteria associated with bad breath. Use a fluoride mouthwash daily as a supplement to brushing twice daily, but not as a replacement.

Beware of snacking

What we eat can have a big influence on our oral health. Snacking every now and again may seem harmless but can actually do more damage than you think, particularly if you are having sugary foods and drinks.

It’s far better for our teeth and general health if we eat three meals a day instead of having snacks to get through the day. Try and maintain a healthy balanced diet and for our teeth it’s important to avoid sugar when we can.

It’s never too early or too late

For children, it’s never too early to learn about the importance of great oral health and how to achieve it. If you, or someone you know, has got into some bad habits, it’s never too late for you to make a positive change and improve your oral health.

Chimneys

Caps

1st Jacey Dyett