How to Maintain Oral Health Between Visits to Your Dentist in Hampshire

February 20, 2025

Maintaining good oral health is not just about visiting a dentist in Hampshire every six months. While regular check-ups are essential, the real work of keeping your teeth healthy happens in between those visits. Proper daily care can prevent issues like cavities, gum disease, and bad breath, ensuring that your smile remains bright and healthy year-round. Here’s how you can maintain optimal oral health between your routine visits to your Hampshire dentist.

Brushing: The foundation of oral care
Brushing your teeth twice a day is the most important habit you can form for maintaining oral health. Use fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently clean your teeth for at least two minutes, ensuring that you reach every surface of your teeth—front, back, and chewing surfaces. Don’t forget to brush your tongue as well, as it can harbour bacteria that contribute to bad breath.
To avoid damaging your enamel, avoid brushing too hard, and make sure to replace your toothbrush every three to four months. If you use an electric toothbrush, ensure that the brush head is also changed regularly. For a more thorough cleaning, consider using an electric toothbrush with a built-in timer to help you brush for the full two minutes.

Flossing: Don’t skip it!
While brushing cleans the surface of your teeth, flossing is essential for cleaning the tight spaces between your teeth and along the gumline, where your toothbrush can’t reach. Flossing once a day helps to remove plaque and food particles, reducing the chances of plaque buildup and preventing gum disease.
If traditional floss is hard for you to use, consider alternatives like dental picks, water flossers, or flossing tools. These can help make flossing easier and more effective for people of all ages. Remember, flossing should be gentle—avoid snapping the floss into your gums as this can cause irritation or bleeding.

Regular Hygiene appointments
While you’re brushing and flossing diligently at home, it’s still crucial to schedule regular hygiene appointments at our dental clinic in Hampshire. These professional cleanings are designed to remove tartar (hardened plaque) that your toothbrush and floss can’t. By visiting the best dentist or hygienist in your area for a cleaning every six months (or as recommended), you’ll keep your teeth free from harmful bacteria and prevent any serious oral issues from developing.

Our Hampshire dentist will also perform a full examination of your mouth, checking for early signs of tooth decay, gum disease, and even oral cancer. Early detection is key to treating issues before they become major problems, and hygiene appointments offer an excellent opportunity for this type of proactive care.

Eat a balanced diet
What you eat can significantly impact your oral health. Foods high in sugar, like candies, soda, and other processed snacks, fuel the bacteria that cause plaque and cavities. Try to limit sugary snacks and beverages, opting for healthier alternatives like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that contribute to stronger teeth and gums.
Calcium-rich foods like dairy products, leafy greens, and almonds help to keep your teeth and jawbones strong. Additionally, foods high in fibre, such as apples and carrots, naturally clean your teeth and stimulate saliva production, which helps neutralize acids that can lead to tooth decay.

Drink Water
Water is not only essential for overall health but is also a great ally for your oral hygiene. Drinking water throughout the day helps rinse away food particles and bacteria, reducing the chance of plaque buildup. Drinking water after meals, especially after consuming acidic or sugary foods, helps neutralise harmful acids that can erode tooth enamel.
If you drink acidic beverages like coffee or citrus juices, it’s a good idea to drink water afterwards to prevent acid erosion. Water also keeps your mouth hydrated, ensuring that you produce enough saliva. Saliva helps fight cavities by neutralising acids and providing essential minerals to protect your teeth.

Avoid Harmful Habits
Certain habits can harm your teeth and gums, even if you’re brushing and flossing regularly. For instance, nail-biting, chewing ice, and grinding your teeth can cause cracks, chips, or enamel erosion. Similarly, smoking or using tobacco products is extremely harmful to your oral health, as it increases your risk of gum disease, tooth loss, and oral cancer.
If you find yourself grinding your teeth, especially at night, talk to your Hampshire dentist about getting a custom mouthguard. Similarly, if you smoke, consider quitting to not only improve your oral health but also your overall well-being.

About Smile Circle
Smile Circle has a network of recommended dentists and dental practices in your local area. The purpose of a company is always to provide value to its customers.

At Smile Circle, our purpose is to “create that perfect and confident smile” through dental awareness, prevention and curative care . Founded by Dr Manish Chitnis, Smile Circle understood a decade ago that there was a need to help patients address dental problems like cavities, gum diseases, and bad breath. If unattended, these would impact an individual’s overall confidence and mental and emotional health. He brought together a group of trained healthcare professionals to provide the best experience to the patients.

Over the last 10 years, Smile Circle is proud to have brought more than 20,000 plus smiles on happy faces across the UK. Today, they work collaboratively to ensure unique experiences for the clients. Driven by our core values of trust, integrity & honesty, Smile Circle dental treatments are considered safe, hygienic and effective by our patients. So whether you’re looking for children’s dentistry treatment, hygiene treatment or a dental implant specialist in Poole, the team at Smile Circle can help you by finding a great dentist!

Visit Us
Maintaining good oral health between visits to your dentist in Hampshire doesn’t have to be difficult. By brushing and flossing regularly, scheduling hygiene appointments, eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding harmful habits, you can keep your teeth healthy and your smile radiant. Regular check-ups with our Hampshire dentist will ensure that any potential issues are caught early, but your daily care is just as important in preventing those problems from developing in the first place.
If you need assistance with your oral care routine or want to schedule your next hygiene appointment, contact one of our dental clinics in Hampshire today. Your smile is definitely worth the investment.