September is National Oral Health Month – a month dedicated to encouraging healthy dental habits and oral hygiene. Did you know that dental cavities and gum disease are two of the world’s most common health problems?
It is estimated that up to 90% of South Africans will experience gum disease at some point in their lives. Caused by plaque on the teeth and under the gum line, gum disease can lead to the loosening of teeth, movement of teeth, bad breath, receding gums and inflammation. It’s even been linked to diabetes and heart disease.
While poor dental hygiene can lead to health problems, it can also put a damper on your smile. If you don’t look after your teeth and gums, it could lead to discolouration, stains and even erosion of the teeth’s enamel, which can affect one’s confidence and make smiling with confidence, difficult.
We smile when we’re happy, but the act of smiling also has the ability to make us happy – and that’s a fact. When we smile, our brains release dopamine and serotonin, two of the hormones that are responsible for making us feel good. And the same thing happens when someone smiles at us: being smiled at can trigger the brain to release feel-good hormones. Smiling is also linked to lower blood pressure, stress relief and a reduction in pain. The bottom line? Smile as often as you can! It’s good for your mental and physical health, as well as the health of those around you.
Not everyone is blessed with a so-called perfect smile, but modern oral care products make is easy to maintain healthy teeth and gums, increase the brightness of your smile and treat and prevent discolouration. While there is no substitute for regular check-ups at the dentist and professional teeth cleaning at the oral hygienist, it is absolutely essential to practice good oral care habits at home if you want to keep maintain the health of your teeth and the beauty of your smile.
Daily maintenance
A healthy oral care routine starts with mastering the basics: brushing twice a day and using a good quality mouthwash. O7 Active® Whitening Toothpaste (R129) contains active oxygen to effectively kill bacteria, remove plaque, maintain healthy teeth and gums and keep teeth beautifully white. It removes superficial stains but is mild on the enamel and does not contain any aggressive bleaches or abrasives. O7 Active® Rinse (R169) can be used twice a day after brushing. This active oxygen mouthwash kills bacteria and helps prevent gum disease, improving your overall oral health by just rinsing for 30 seconds, twice a day. Available on www.takealot.com.
Flossing is for everyone
Brushing your teeth twice a day is not enough to remove food and plaque – especially in hard-to-reach places like between the teeth and below the gum line. Flossing is the best way to remove food particles and impurities. But before you cringe at the thought of manually flossing with string every night, have you considered water flossing?
Water flossing for one minute before brushing easily removes bacteria and debris from hard-to-reach areas deep between teeth and below the gum line. Quick and easy to use, Waterpik® Water Flossers utilise a unique combination of water pressure and patented pulsations to massage and stimulate gums as well as clean deep between teeth and below the gum line. They are clinically proven to be more effective than traditional dental floss for reducing plaque, gingivitis, and gum disease.
Waterpik® Water Flossers are clinically proven to remove up to 99.9% of plaque from treated areas. The unique combination of water pressure and pulsations is up to 50% more effective for improving gum health than ordinary string floss.
Try:
Waterpik® WF-02 Cordless Express Water Flosser (R999.00). Ideal for braces and other dental work, it requires only 3x AA batteries to operate, making it great for travel. Using this flosser for just one minute a day prior to brushing ensures a cleaner, fresher and healthier mouth. The unit comes with two unique Classic Jet tips for general use.
Waterpik® WP-450 Cordless Plus Water Flosser (R1 399.00). The WP-450 Cordless Plus water flosser takes up less space on the countertop and includes four unique tips: Classic Jet tip (for general use), Plaque Seeker tip (best for implants, crowns, veneers and bridges and removes plaque in hard-to-reach areas), Orthodontic tip (ideal for braces and is 3x as effective as floss for removing plaque around orthodontic appliances) and the Tongue cleaner (removes bacteria from the tongue to freshen breath).
Waterpik® WP-100 Ultra Water Flosser (R1 499.00). The WP-100 Ultra Water Flosser is the ultimate in water flossing performance. It features 10 pressure settings for optimum control. The contemporary design is compact with a covered reservoir to keep out dust and debris. Six unique tips are stored in the unique undercover compartment in the lid of the reservoir.
To view and shop Waterpik® products, visit www.waterpikflosser.co.za. Also available at selected dentists, Dis-Chem stores and Takealot.
Professional whitening
White teeth look healthier and more attractive, plus they go a long way in promoting a more youthful appearance. If you’re looking to brighten your smile or improve the appearance of stained or discoloured teeth, professional teeth whitening is the way to go. Performed by a qualified oral health practitioner, professional teeth whitening is safe and effective, and as it’s done by a professional, it does not carry the risks that a lot of home whitening systems do.
The leading choice in teeth whitening, Zoom Professional Teeth Whitening is a fast, safe bleaching process that takes place under the care of your dentist to lighten the discoloration of your enamel and dentin. You don’t have to pay a Hollywood price for your new movie star smile either; Zoom Professional Teeth Whitening is both convenient and affordable in delivering you with the smile you have always wanted. The entire in-office bleaching procedure takes just over an hour.
Using the Zoom Whitespeed LED advanced technology, your teeth can be bleached up to eight shades whiter. All of the Zoom bleaching gels have a pH booster, meaning it is completely safe for your teeth.
For sustained whiteness, South African dentists advise patients to combine all of Zoom’s bleaching options, which includes the professional in-office one hour procedure, and customised trays for at home care to increase the longevity of the bleaching result, and allow for easy maintenance, all for as little as 30 minutes per month at home. While it may be tempting to consider the many over-the-counter teeth whitening options, if you want to receive consistent results, professional teeth whitening is your best choice. When you whiten your teeth the professional way, you will not end up paying twice.
To find a dental professional near you visit: www.zoomwhitening.co.za/find-a-dentist
A new way to straighten teeth
Most people aren’t blessed with perfectly straight teeth, and up until now there have been very few straightening options. But that is about to change. Now you can enjoy a beautiful set of straight teeth within only a few months thanks to Dutch brand Tootsee’s custom-made clear aligners and whitening kit. Hassle-free and reasonably priced, Tootsee’s clear aligners straighten teeth within an average of four to six months. They’re easy to insert and remove, easy to clean, transparent and flattering, and are much more affordable than other alternatives.
Designed for adults over the age of 20 whose teeth are slightly skew, these aligners promise a cosmetically beautiful smile.
The process is simple: visit your dental technician to have impressions made of your teeth. You will be assigned a Tootsee “smile consultant” who will guide you through the rest of the process and do regular check in’s online to ensure the home process is going smoothly. Wear your Tootsee Clear Aligners for 22 hours a day, and enjoy subtly more beautiful teeth from day one!
Tootsee Clear Aligners are coming to SA soon as will be available at www.tootsee.co.za.
Make your oral health a priority this National Oral Health Month and enjoy all the benefits of a beautiful, bright smile.
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