Oral health advice for adults

• Brush your teeth and gums twice a day, every night last thing before bed and one other time
• Don't forget to brush your tongue
• To properly brush your teeth you should make short strokes gently over the teeth and remember to pay close attention to the gumline, any areas surrounding crowns, fillings or restorations and hard to reach areas
• Electric and manual toothbrushes are equally effective as long as you are brushing correctly
• Use1450ppm strength fluoride toothpaste
• Spit don't rinse. Always spit your toothpaste out but don't rinse away the goodness from the toothpaste with water or a mouthwash
• Floss your teeth before brushing so that any dislodged food can be brushed out of your mouth, your dentist or hygienist will be able to show you how to floss effectively

Most people are now aware that smoking is bad for their health. It can cause many different medical problems and, in some cases, fatal diseases. However, many people don't realise the damage that smoking does to their mouth, gums and teeth.

Smoking can lead to tooth staining, gum disease, tooth loss, and in more severe cases mouth cancer.

Smoking can also lead to gum disease. People who smoke are more likely to produce bacterial plaque, which leads to gum disease. The gums are affected because smoking causes a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream, so the infected gums don't heal. Smoking causes people to have more dental plaque and causes gum disease to get worse more quickly than in non-smokers. Gum disease is still the most common cause of tooth loss in adults.

• you have an mouth ulcer that has lasted more than 3 weeks
• you have a lump in your mouth, on your lip, on your neck or in your throat
• you have a red or white patch in your mouth
• you have pain in your mouth that's not going away
• you're having difficulty swallowing or speaking
• you have a hoarse (croaky) voice that does not go away

A dentist or doctor can also help with ulcers, lumps, patches or pain in your mouth.

• Daily cleaning of the dentures using mechanical action – brushing with a toothbrush or denture brush and an effective, non-abrasive denture cleanser (no dentifrice).
• Daily soaking in a denture-cleansing solution – this seems to deliver extra chemical breakdown of the remaining plaque and some level of disinfection of the denture. Denture-cleansing solutions should only be used outside the mouth, and denture wearers should strictly follow the manufacturers’ guidelines.
• Denture wearers should not keep their dentures in the mouth overnight, unless there are specific reasons for keeping them in. This guideline is even more important for people at a higher risk of developing stomatitis and for frail or institutionalized older people. Soaking in a denture cleanser solution after mechanical cleaning seems to be beneficial for preventing denture stomatitis and the potential risk of pneumonia events in these groups of people.
• All patients who wear removable dentures should be enrolled into a regular recall and maintenance programme with their dental professional.

• Base your meals on higher fibre starchy carbohydrates
  
• Eat lots of fruit and veg
  
• Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish
  
• Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
  
• Eat less salt: no more than 6g a day for adults
• Do not get thirsty
• Do not skip breakfast
• Get active and be a healthy weight