Dental-care tips

To maintain the health of your teeth follow our Dental-care tips.

• Eat a diet high in calcium and vitamins C and D.
  
  
• Avoid sugary foods and drinks. When bacteria in the mouth start to ferment sugar they create acids that cause tooth decay.
  
  
• Brush your teeth twice a day and floss daily.
  
  
• Use only a soft-bristled regular or electric toothbrush. Brush with light pressure in a circular motion and be especially gentle around your gum line.
  
  
• High-fluoride toothpastes and fluoride mouth washes can help prevent decay, particularly in older people who have tooth root surfaces exposed by receding gums.

Talk to your dentist about preventive care and planning for the future. Murray Thomson from Otago University's School of Dentistry suggests three key ways to help future-proof your teeth:

Keep your enamel

There's no dental material that can match enamel's strength. The sooner decay is found and treated the smaller the filling required. Teeth with large fillings are weak and can break or have hidden cracks. So go to your dentist for a check-up at least once a year.

Be wary of treatments that remove enamel. A crown will protect a heavily filled tooth - but think twice before having a crown put in simply to improve the appearance of a front tooth. As teeth darken with age and gums recede a crowned tooth will stand out from its neighbours.

Go for gold

Invest in gold inlays (or overlays, for large areas of the tooth) instead of amalgam or composite fillings. They're expensive but they stand up best to the wear and tear on your back teeth and can last for many years.

Porcelain inlays can be matched to the colour of your tooth, wear well and are long-lasting - but they're expensive too.

If you're a smoker, give it up!

Smoking can lead to mouth and throat cancers, tooth staining, gum disease and tooth loss. The toxins in smoke end up in the bloodstream and affect the gums' ability to heal, meaning that smokers have unhealthy gums. Gum disease is a leading cause of tooth loss in adults.

Watch your mouth!

Taking care of your teeth can help prevent gum disease and possibly other serious illnesses. Bacteria from the mouth can get into the bloodstream, which takes them to other parts of the body - or they can be breathed in.

Studies have found links between poor oral health and heart disease, strokes, diabetes and respiratory infections, although there is currently no definitive proof that gum disease causes these problems.