COVID19 – Home Tips for your Teeth and Body

Dear patients and friends,

We sincerely hope that you are all safe and well at home and trying to remain positive and productive amidst the current uncertainty. We want to remind you that we are still here for you during this time, and are available to speak to you via social media or telephone should you have a dental emergency. While we cannot see you at the practice, we can virtually triage you and offer advice on next steps.

We will be communicating with you via email and social media (Facebook and Instagram – @toothplus or @rachael_toothplus) over the coming months to keep you updated and to offer some useful oral hygiene and general health and nutrition tips. We’ll also be sharing some team updates so that you don’t forget our faces (!) and you know what the whole team are getting up to during lockdown.

Finally, we look forward to welcoming you once again to tooth+ in the not too distant future. In the meantime we will miss you – you are a big part of all of our lives. Please look after yourselves and follow the Government’s advice on social distancing so we can all help to #flattenthecurve.

Oral Health Advice at Home

Oral health is linked to your overall health and wellbeing – take it from the World Health Organisation

We hope you are continuing to look after your teeth in the tooth+ way – diligent toothbrushing (preferably with an electric toothbrush) and cleaning in-between your teeth with floss, ‘floss picks’ or interdental brushes twice daily.

Now is a more important time than ever to keep up with your good oral health habits. The World Health Organisation themselves have stressed that with healthy mouths come healthy bodies and a better quality of life. Keeping your mouth healthy now will prevent dental problems and treatment needed in the future.

Here are our top tips for keeping your mouth sparkling clean and healthy during lockdown:

• Brush and floss at least twice daily
• If you use an electric toothbrush, hold at a 45 degree angle toward the gum line and move in a circular movement over the front, top and back of teeth
• Don’t scrub too hard on your gums as you may do them more harm than good!
• If you find string floss difficult or painful to use, try TePe interdental brushes for cleaning between the teeth
• If your gums bleed when brushing or flossing, you may not be cleaning your teeth as often or as effectively as needed — keep up twice daily cleaning (including between your teeth) and bleeding should subside within a week
• Rinse your mouth with/sip water after eating to prevent plaque build up
• Rinse with a fluoride mouthwash after brushing for an extra fluoride boost

Remember also to try and move your body daily (see below!), eat sensibly and keep your diet low in sugary and acidic food and drinks. If you wear braces or have implants or crowns, try to avoid hard or sticky foods that could pose a risk of fracture or breakage such as nuts, popcorn, and toffee. If you smoke, this is a perfect time to set yourself the challenge to stop.

Move Your Body!

Now is a great time to put those new years resolutions into action! We’re sure most of you that wrote down some resolutions just a few months ago will have added included something exercise related.

They say it takes 30 days to form a habit, so why not use the next few weeks to get into a home exercise routine that suits you, especially since there are so many free resources available. Healthy body, healthy mind!

If you need some extra encouragement, here are our top exercise finds for keeping fit during the lockdown:

• Try Joe Wicks’ free, daily YouTube workouts to improve your overall fitness levels — on your own or with the kids
• To increase flexibility and get some headspace, try a relaxing yoga flow with Adriene
• If you’re missing your gym classes, try the Peloton app for at-home gym classes with a virtual group – free for 90 days if you sign up before 30 April
• Take part in the ‘Run for Heroes’ initiative to raise money for the NHS – run 5K, donate £5 and nominate 5 more friends when you finish

From Easter Eggs to Fresh Fruit and Veg!

We’ll let you off for a little indulgence in chocolate bars and Easter eggs over the long weekend, but now it’s time to move on to healthier snacks which are easier on your smile.

Try to swap out snacking on sweets and chocolate for fresh fruit and veg. There are lots of local fresh produce suppliers offering home delivery of fruit and veg boxes straight to your doorstep. It’s a great way to try new recipes and improve your health.

Dental tip: don’t forget that fruit is high in sugar. Even though it’s naturally occurring, too much can be harmful to your teeth Try eating more berries (they’re in season!) which are lower in sugar than other fruits such as apples or mango.

For a healthy snack for the kids, try a blueberry and oat smoothie for breakfast instead of cereal, or homemade fruit yogurt ice lollies as an afternoon snack or dessert.

Hello from the Team

We are all getting together regularly on Zoom. Some of us have been busy looking after our children, and we are all spending lots of time learning new skills and watching plenty of Dental webinars!

Thank You, Key Workers

Finally, we know that many of our patients are either NHS or key workers themselves or have close family and friends who are. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all you are doing. We will be clapping for you this Thursday.

We look forward to welcoming you back very soon, and remember if we can help in any way, please contact us.