Everybody knows you should brush your teeth twice a day and floss, but do we really do this?
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Do we really take the time to do this properly? And do we really know how to be truly effective at the task of cleaning our teeth and mouth?
The experts at Echuca Dental Clinic urge people to use Dental Health Week to strip back the chaos of the past few years of the pandemic and the uncertainty of what lies ahead, to take some time to do something for ourselves with purpose and mindfulness.
Dr Amrita Ranchod says everyone is dealing with some challenging times, which results in stress on the body that can manifest in many different ways.
“From a dental perspective, we are seeing more signs of this, such as night-time teeth grinding and clenching, which can result in damage to teeth such as cracks, broken teeth, severe wear and unfortunately completely split teeth,” she says.
“Some people also experience jaw pain, and musculoskeletal issues as well.”
Ali Alnajar joined Echuca Dental Clinic in February as an oral health therapist and says dentistry and oral health are often regarded as “fix it when it breaks”, however, the profession and sector of health advocates for so much more.
“Our drive as dental practitioners is to not only ‘fix teeth’ but to prevent the progression of any disease that may be occurring inside the mouth,“ he says.
“Hygiene and oral health is such an important factor when it comes to the health of your mouth, as the gums and bone surrounding the teeth stabilise the teeth and the periodontal condition.
“Having inflammation of the gums can lead to further complications if left untouched.”
Mr Alnajar says as an oral health therapist, his focus is hygiene, prevention and health promotion.
“At Echuca Dental Clinic, our drive is to optimise gum health as one of our priorities.
“That allows everyone that comes into the clinic to achieve a set standard of excellent gum health through our hygiene department.
“Visit us today to allow us to assess your gum health and provide you with excellent hygiene care.”
Dr Ranchod says a common question she is faced with is how to remedy jaw pain, and also musculoskeletal issues.
“Sometimes dental treatments can be simple or complex, depending on the circumstance,” she says.
“But taking a preventative approach is also very helpful and more often simple.
“Building routine and simplifying our day where we can help it, is perhaps a good starting point.”
Dr Ranchod says taking the time to brush our teeth with purpose twice a day might be the start of a new healthy habit.
“Perhaps a few minutes at the start and end of your day to contemplate whilst brushing your teeth might be a way to gain a few moments of mindfulness.
“Perhaps cutting out or cutting down on smoking or soft drink for a week, might be the start of a better you.
“So, let’s take Dental Health Week to mean just a little more than ‘brushing and flossing our teeth’. It might just give us a little more to smile about.”
Dr Amrita Ranchod, Razhel Dunn, Merryn Davies, Cassie Conroy, Ali Alnajar and Ishan D'Souza at Echuca Dental Clinic.
Ali Alnajar, Ishan D'Souza, Dr Amrita Ranchod, Cassie Conroy, Merryn Davies and Rachel Dunn.
Focus on mindfulness, says Dr Amrita Ranchod.
Ali Alnajar is all about dental hygiene, prevention and health promotion.
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