Latest 7 Magazine: Brush Up - August 2011

Our Bug Busters on the front cover of Latest 7 

Children will be all smiles with help from Dental Health Spa in Brighton

Kids, it's time to brush up on dental hygiene. The new school year may be a few weeks away but it's time to start swotting on a different subject: healthy teeth. Parents, pay attention, as there may be something you've let slip past the wayside, too. A shocking statistic shows the main reason for a child under the age of five having general anesthetic in the UK is for dental work following tooth decay.

So, how long should you brush your teeth for? How many times a day? How do you prevent cavities? And how often should we really be paying a visit to the dentist? Latest 7 answers all those questions and more with Christina Chatfield, director of Spa Kids, part of Dental Health Spa in Brighton.

Milk teeth

Our baby (milk) teeth begin to develop before birth, but they start to push through the gums at six months old. Generally, children have 20 baby teeth, which are usually in place by the age of two or three. Parents should introduce a toothbrush when their baby is a few months old, as the baby may have started to teethe already. Christina Chatfield identifies the reason as getting the baby used to the taste of toothpaste and having the brush in their mouth. At this young age, it's not about cleaning the teeth, and all the baby may want to do is chew on the brush, but proper brushing starts from a young age, which leads us on to the toddler years...

Brush up

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How long do you spend brushing your teeth? You may think it's for a good minute or two but in fact many of us only brush our teeth for around 30 seconds. To nail down the correct brushing time, Dental Health Spa offers talking toothbrushes for children - an ingenious idea. As soon as it's turned on, children brush their bottom teeth for one minute, before switching to the top teeth and brush for another minute. Christina will soon be offering a newer toothbrush from America that not only tells children to brush their top and bottom teeth, but also the inside and outside of the teeth too. "It is extremely common for children to brush the outside of their teeth but not the inside," says Christina. "It is the inside of the teeth and biting surfaces that are at high risk of tooth decay."

The question is, when do you brush? The answer for many may be after breakfast. It seems to make sense; why brush and then eat? But have you ever thought what the bacteria in your mouth are up to while you are sleeping? "They have been multiplying," Christina explains. "And, just like we are, but the time we wake up they are pretty hungry. The bacteria in our mouths feed on the sugars in the foods we eat and turns in into acids which cause decay. Unless you brush some of the bacteria away first, there will be thousands of them waiting to tuck into your breakfast with you!" So, before and after then? Leave it for quite a while after eating if you can. "The acid produced by the bacteria while you are eating softens the enamel on your teeth and the mechanical action of brushing can cause it to wear down," says Christina.

So, with many of us not brushing for the right length of time, the next step for improvement is brushing the teeth correctly. It's something that seems so obvious, but until we consciously think about it, we realise there is always room for improvement, what with being on auto pilot in the mornings and too tired at night. But brushing our teeth correctly is essential in maintaining healthy teeth and gums. But how do we know we're getting it right? To help children, Christina has developed Spa Kids at her Brighton spa. In a fun and interactive lesson, Spa Kids uses an Oral Insights Interactive System to look at children's brushing technique, which is great for kids aged 8 upwards. They wear a headset connected to a computer screen, which brings up a virtual model of their teeth. They then brush their teeth as they normally would. The difference to being at home is the computer highlights the time spent on each tooth and areas missed out altogether. Children get a score out of ten and are shown how to improve their brushing technique. Sounds like it's time to strive for a perfect ten.

The new disclosing solution at Spa Kids lets children see how bacteria manifests. The solution dyes the bacteria on the teeth, showing up a faint pink for traces of bacteria deepening to a dark purple for bacteria that has been there for days. "This can be a real eye opener to children - and adults too! You would expect to see traces of prink on some teeth, but to find whole teeth a deep purple highlights the areas missed by brushing," says Christina.

Keep teeth healthy

By only brushing our teeth we miss a large proportion of the teeth's surface. A gentle, non or low alcohol mouthwash will help keep the teeth and gums free from bad bacteria. Next, grasp the knack of flossing, as it helps reach around 35 per cent of the tooth brushing doesn't!

As already mentioned, our mouths are a busy destination for bacteria - there's the good bacteria and the bad. Some of the bacteria can be harmful, most are not and some are even helpful. However, some of the bacteria can attach to the tooth's enamel. If they're not removed, they multiply. Proteins in your saliva can also mix in, forming a white film on the tooth. This is plaque, which is what causes cavities.

To prevent tooth decay and cavities, limit sugary foods and drinks. Fizzy drinks may appear to be the worst offender, but fresh fruit juices can contain high sugar and are very acidic, which can damage the tooth's enamel.

Eat a healthy, balanced diet including all the food groups. Not only is it beneficial to your overall health, but for your teeth and mouth too.

By looking after our teeth through childhood means our teeth and gums are likely to stay strong and healthy through our adult life. Choose a toothbrush to suit you - ask your dental hygienist for advice in finding the perfect brush. Some prefer electric toothbrushes; others need a soft or medium brush, where the bristles can either be flat or shaped. Here's the question: when did you last change your toothbrush? If you can't remember then it was too long ago! As well as harbouring bacteria, a worn out toothbrush cannot clean your teeth properly and may damage your gums. Change toothbrush every two to three months, or when the bristles become splayed. Combine thorough cleaning with regular check-ups and you will keep smiling all year round.. Don't wait for a tooth-related problem to arise. Prevention and maintenance is key.

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