Dental health advice
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Get to know your teeth
Your teeth are more complex than you think. We start off adulthood with 32 teeth, excluding wisdom teeth. We have four types of teeth:
Incisors: Chisel-shaped teeth positioned at the very front of the mouth that help cut food.
Canines: Pointy teeth that help to tear food.
Premolars: Situated between the canine and the molar teeth, premolars help crush and tear food.
Molars: Teeth at the back of the mouth that are used for grinding up food.
Each tooth is surrounded by gum tissue and connected by nerves and blood vessels. Around them sits a layer of enamel, the hard, outer layer that protects the tooth. Beneath the enamel is dentine, a less hard layer that supports the enamel and protects teeth from heat and cold. At the very centre is the root canal, which houses the nerves and blood vessels that keep the tooth healthy.
Why is your oral & dental health important?
Your oral and dental health allows you to speak clearly, taste, chew, swallow foods, and show how you feel through your facial expressions. Poor dental health can also lead to problems with your self-esteem, which may include concerns with your breath and the appearance of your smile and teeth. By maintaining good oral hygiene, you can help keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime. Preventing problems is always better than having to fix them, so it's important to have advice on how to look after your teeth and gums.
Good dental hygiene practice
- Use small circular brushing movements
- Hold a small-headed toothbrush against your teeth at a 45-degree angle
- Move the brush back and forth until you have brushed each section of your teeth thoroughly
- Brush over the crowns of your teeth towards the top (biting surface)
- Make sure to brush your tongue too
- Spit out any excess toothpaste, but don’t rinse your mouth. This is to let the fluoride in the toothpaste stay on your teeth for longer which can help to make them stronger
- Rinse your toothbrush and allow it to air dry
- Avoid eating or drinking within 30 minutes of brushing your teeth
You should brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day for about two minutes to help keep your teeth and gums healthy.
The type of toothbrush you use doesn’t matter – it can be manual or electric. As long as you’re cleaning all the surfaces of your teeth, you can use either.
You should change your toothbrush or toothbrush head (if using an electric) every three months when possible.
When choosing a toothpaste, you should use a pea-sized amount and it should contain between 1350 and 1500ppm of fluoride (you can find this information on the back of the tube).
To make sure you’re properly brushing your teeth, you should:
As well as brushing your teeth, you should be using interdental brushes or floss at least once a day between your teeth from the age of 12. This is to help you reach the places that the brush can’t reach. If the spaces between your teeth aren’t large enough for an interdental brush, flossing can be a useful alternative.
Dental floss is a soft, thin thread which can sometimes be difficult to use. If you do find it difficult to use, you can try using dental tape which is thicker. Being aggressive when using floss can be harmful to your gums, so it’s important to be careful.
When you first start flossing your teeth or using an interdental brush, your gums might be tender and bleed a little. You should carry on flossing your teeth and using an interdental brush if your dental team say the bleeding is okay. As your gums get healthier, your bleeding should stop. It’s important to remember that it’s the plaque that causes bleeding, not the brushing.
If the bleeding doesn’t stop, make sure to speak to your dental team. They can take a look at your technique and check if you’re flossing and using an interdental brush properly.
If cleaning between your teeth is difficult for you, your dental team can also give you advice about other ways of cleaning between your teeth.
Here's some tips on how to floss:
- Break off about 45cm of floss and wind some around one finger of each hand
- Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and fingers. Make sure to hold this tight so it isn’t slack
- Use a ‘rocking’ motion to guide the floss between your teeth
- When the floss reaches your gumline, curve it until you feel resistance
- Hold the floss against your tooth and gently scrape the side of your tooth – you should then repeat this on the side of the gap
- Use a regular pattern, starting from the top and working from left to right. This can make sure that you don’t miss any teeth
- Don’t forget to floss the back of your last tooth
Water flossers, which can also be known as oral irrigators are handheld devices which can be an alternative to regular flossing.
They spray pressurised water between the gaps in your teeth and gum line which can help to remove plaque and food particles.
Although water flossing can help to keep between your teeth clean, they aren’t as effective at removing stubborn plaque in tighter areas.
You might want to use a water flosser over string floss if:
• You find using string floss difficult
• You have sensitive gums
• You have braces
Using an interdental brush can help prevent gum disease by removing bits of food and plaque from between your teeth.
They have small, bristled heads which are made to clean between your teeth and they come in different widths to fit into different sizes of gaps.
You should aim to use an interdental brush once a day, before brushing your teeth.
To use an interdental brush, you should:
• Use a size that matches the size of the space between your teeth
• Insert the brush gently between your teeth and move it back and forth to help remove plaque or food
Mouthwash is a product that’s used to rinse your teeth, gums and mouth. Some contain an antiseptic to help remove harmful bacteria that can live between your teeth and your tongue. Mouthwash doesn’t replace brushing your teeth or flossing. Different mouthwashes contain different ingredients and not all mouthwashes help to strengthen your teeth.
Some people use mouthwash as part of their dental hygiene routine, but you can also use it when out and about to help with bad breath.
If you use a mouthwash that has fluoride in it, this can help with preventing tooth decay. You shouldn’t use mouthwash (even a fluoride one) right after brushing your teeth as this can wash away the concentrated fluoride that’s been left on your teeth by the toothpaste.
Instead, use mouthwash at a different time like after lunch. It’s important to also avoid eating and drinking for 30 minutes after using a fluoride mouthwash.
The way to use a mouthwash depends on the brand you’re using. You should always follow the instructions on the bottle and make sure to only use as much as the label tells you to. This is usually between three and five teaspoons and many mouthwash brands have a measuring cup in the lid.
You should empty the mouthwash into your mouth and swish it around. Mouthwash isn’t to be swallowed, so make sure to spit it out into the sink.
Dental care for different stages of life
As your body changes, so do your mouth, teeth and gums.
During pregnancy, hormones can make your teeth more vulnerable to plaque. This can increase your risk of gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease which has symptoms which include swollen and bleeding gums. Because of the changes that happen during pregnancy, you should take extra care of your teeth and gums.
Things you can do include:
• Booking a dentist appointment
• Speaking to your dentist about getting your teeth professionally cleaned
• Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste
• Floss once a day to remove bits of food from between your teeth to help prevent plaque building up
• Try to avoid or limit sugary and acidic drinks and foods. If you’re hungry between meals, choose foods like vegetables, fresh fruit or plain yoghurt
• Stop smoking
• If using mouthwash, use an alcohol-free type
If you have morning sickness or pregnancy sickness, you should rinse your mouth with water after being sick. Because of the acid in your vomit, you should try to wait for an hour before brushing your teeth as they might be softened.
It’s important to ask your midwife for a maternity exemption certificate. This will let you get free dental care and prescriptions during your pregnancy and for one year after your baby has been born.
Dental treatments in pregnancy
When you go to the dentist, make sure to tell them that you’re pregnant. If you need any new or replacement fillings, speak to your dentist about if this should be delayed until after your baby is born. The Department of Health and Social Care advises that any amalgam fillings shouldn’t be removed while you’re pregnant.
If you need a dental x-ray, your dentist will usually wait until after the baby has been born even though most dental x-rays don’t affect the tummy area.
Baby & toddler teeth
Even before your baby has their first teeth, you can support their dental and oral health by wiping their gums after feeding with a clean cloth. When their first teeth start to appear, they become susceptible to tooth decay, so making sure to clean their teeth is essential.
You can clean your baby’s milk (first) teeth with a baby-sized toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. If they’ll let you, you can also try flossing between your child’s teeth when you notice two or more teeth touching.
You should brush your child’s teeth for them until they are seven. If they want to do it themselves before this, that’s okay – but make sure to check they’ve done it properly afterwards.
Children’s teeth (over seven)
All children get free dental care from the NHS, so you can take your child to the dentist when their first milk teeth teeth appear. This is so they can get comfortable with the environment and know the dentist. You can speak to your dentist about any concerns like teething or if they suck their thumb.
We’ve put together a guide on caring for your toddler’s teeth to help.
Children over seven should be able to brush their own teeth, but it’s a good idea to watch them to make sure they’re brushing for two minutes and are brushing properly. They should be brushing their teeth as shown in the ‘Brushing’ section of the page.
As your body ages, so do your teeth. Daily brushing and flossing of your natural teeth can help to keep them in good oral health. Plaque can build up quickly if dental hygiene is neglected, so it’s important to:
- Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
- Floss at least once a day
- Rinse with a mouthwash once or twice a day
- Visit your dentist for regular cleaning and an oral exam
Keeping your mouth clean is just as important if you wear dentures (false teeth). You should make sure to brush your remaining teeth, gums and tongue every morning and evening with fluoride toothpaste to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
You should also make sure to regularly remove plaque and food from your dentures. To clean dentures, you should:
- Brush your dentures with toothpaste or soap and water, then soak them to remove any food particles
- Soak the dentures in a fizzy solution made up of denture-cleaning tablets to remove stains and bacteria (follow the instructions on the label for any denture-cleaning tablets).
- Brush your dentures like you’d brush your normal teeth, but don’t scrub them too hard
It’s important to be careful with your dentures as they can break if dropped. You should clean them over a bowl or sink filled with water or something soft like a towel.
Just like a healthy body, having healthy teeth and gums can depend on what you eat and drink. Eating a balanced diet can help you to look after your teeth and gums and in turn, healthy teeth and gums can also help to support your diet. A healthy, balanced diet includes:
- Eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day
- Basing meals on higher-fibre foods like potatoes, bread, pasta or rice
- Eating some dairy or dairy alternatives
- Eating some beans, pulses, eggs, fish, meat and other protein
Minerals like calcium and phosphorus can help to support your dental health by helping to protect and rebuild enamel. Enamel is the hard outer protective layer of teeth – it’s also the hardest substance in the human body. Protein-rich foods like meat, fish, milk, poultry and eggs are good sources of phosphorus. Foods high in calcium include cheese, milk, plain yoghurt, leafy greens and almonds.
Fruit and veg are also good choices for maintaining your dental health as they’re high in water and fibre. Eating fruit and veg can help to stimulate saliva, which can help to wash away acids and food from your teeth, which can help to protect your teeth from decay.
Many types of fruit and veg also have vitamins like vitamin C which is important to support the health of your gums (you might see this being called the gingiva) and vitamin A which is also useful for helping to support tooth enamel.
How you eat can also affect your dental health. Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that can form on the teeth and if it isn’t removed daily, this can build up. Plaque bacteria use sugar from things you eat and drink to make acid which can damage the enamel on your teeth. This acid can last on the teeth for up to 20 minutes even after you’ve finished eating or drinking, so snacking all day or sipping a sugary drink for a long period of time can lead to tooth decay.
Sugar & dental health
Eating a lot of sugar not only leads to tooth decay, but it’s linked to other health problems like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Eating acidic foods
Acidic foods like citrus foods can lower the pH in our mouths, meaning that they can damage our tooth enamel. This can lead to tooth erosion or tooth wear. Tooth erosion has many symptoms which can include:
• Being more sensitive to taste, textures and temperature
• Cracks and chips in your teeth
• Your teeth being discoloured
• Indentations on your teeth (they might look like cups)
However, this will only happen if the acids are in contact with your teeth over protracted periods. Eating an orange only takes a few minutes so there is no cause for alarm there, but drinking fruit juices all day every day will certainly have an affect over time.
Common conditions
Common conditions that can affect our oral and dental health include cavities (tooth decay) and gum disease. Gum disease is when your gums become red, swollen, sore and they bleed.
Tooth decay
Tooth decay can be caused by having too much sugary food and drink and not cleaning your teeth and gums. If you think you or your child has tooth decay, it’s important to see a dentist as soon as possible. If you treat it early, it can stop it getting worse.
Tooth decay doesn’t always show symptoms at first, but if left untreated, it can get worse and lead to problems like a hole in the tooth (a cavity).
If you have a cavity, you might have:
- Toothache
- Sharp pain in your tooth when eating or drinking anything hot, cold or sweet (sensitive teeth)
- White, black or brown spots on your tooth
In some cases, the tooth or gum can get infected which can lead to a dental abscess (a painful build-up of pus).
Make sure to see a dentist if:
- You have pain in your teeth
- Your gums are swollen, painful or bleed when you brush your teeth
Looking after your teeth and gums and having good dental and oral hygiene can help to prevent tooth decay.
Do I need to go to the dentist?
You might think that you need a dental check-up every six months, but this all depends on your needs. Your dentist will suggest when you should have a check-up depending on how good your oral health is. This can range between three months and two years. If you’re under 18, this will be up to a year.
Having a check-up means your dentist can see if you have any dental problems. If you leave any problems untreated, this could make them harder to sort out in the future, so it’s better to tackle problems early or if possible, prevent dental problems.
If you do go to a check-up, your dentist should:
- Check your teeth, gums and mouth
- Ask about your general health and any problems you’ve had with your teeth mouth and gums since you last went
- Ask about your diet, smoking, alcohol use and dental hygiene habits and if needed give you advice on them
You might need to have dental treatments like fillings, having a tooth taken out or an emergency treatment. If these are needed your dentist will let you know.
If you have problems with your teeth between having check-ups, you should speak to your dental surgery to make an appointment. If you have a dental emergency like severe pain or a tooth has been knocked out, speak to your surgery and they should let you know how to access emergency dental care.
Make sure to go to A&E if you have:
- Heavy bleeding
- Injuries to your mouth, face or teeth
- Severe swelling or increased swelling of your mouth, throat, lips, neck or eye
If you aren’t sure if you need to go to A&E, contact NHS 111 and they can advise you.
Cosmetic dentistry
Cosmetic dentistry involves improving the look of your mouth, teeth, gums and overall smile. Common techniques include teeth whitening, veneers, fillings and dental implants. Although cosmetic dentistry isn’t essential, it can help to build your confidence.
Teeth whitening
Over time, your teeth can become stained from food, drinks, medicines and habits like smoking. Many people choose teeth whitening to brighten their teeth and their smile.
Teeth whitening means bleaching your teeth to make them brighter and whiter. It can’t make your teeth a brilliant white, but it can help to lighten the existing colour by several shades, however, this isn’t permanent. It should only be carried out by a dentist or regulated dental professional like a dental hygienist or a dental therapist.
Some beauty salons offer teeth whitening, but it’s important to know that this is illegal if there isn’t a dental professional present. This can also put your oral health at risk.
DIY home kits for teeth whitening can also carry risks, so make sure to speak to a dental professional before using a home kit.
Your dentist will be able to let you know if teeth whitening is suitable for you.
Dental veneers
Dental veneers are new facings for teeth that are made to disguise a chipped or discoloured tooth. When veneers are fitted, the front of the tooth is drilled away a little. An impression of your tooth is taken and a thin layer of porcelain if is fitted over the tooth.
Veneers are usually only available privately unless you have a clinical need for them.
Braces
Braces are an orthodontic treatment to help you make the best use of your teeth. This can include:
• Straightening your teeth to help you care for your gums and teeth more easily
• Improving your bite to help you eat more comfortably
• Closing gaps between your teeth
Your teeth and gums need to be healthy before you can have braces fitted as your teeth and braces need to be kept clean while on. This is to help prevent tooth decay or gum disease.
If you have braces, your treatment usually lasts from 12 months to two and a half years.
If you’re under 18 and the dentist feels like you need it, you can get orthodontic treatment on the NHS. NHS orthodontic treatment isn’t usually available for adults, but it can be approved on a case-by-case basis if it’s needed for health reasons. Your dentist can advise on this.
Keep your mouth in mint condition
Brush up on oral hygiene
Frequently asked questions
Some tips to help improve your dental health include:
• Brushing with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day
• Flossing daily to help remove food and dental plaque from between your teeth
• Make sure to see your dentist at least once every two years
• Avoid using tobacco products. If you do smoke, try to quit
• Limit the amount of alcohol that you drink
Gum disease is when your gums become red, sore and swollen. In some cases, your gums can bleed.
Early signs of gum disease include:
• Your gums bleed when you brush your teeth, floss or eat hard foods like apples
• Having swollen, sore and red gums
An orthodontist is a healthcare professional who specialises in orthodontics. Orthodontic treatment is used to improve how your teeth are positioned, how they look and how they work if they’re crooked or aren’t arranged properly. It can help to straighten them and move them into a better position.
1Subject to availability. Eligibility criteria may apply. Charges may apply.
2Access to prescription-only treatment is subject to an online consultation with a clinician to assess suitability. Subject to availability. Charges apply.
22Eligibility criteria apply. Charges may apply. Available in selected pharmacies, subject to availability.
†The Hygiene Bank is a registered charity in:
England and Wales number: 1181267
Scotland number: SC049895
