Hello hi how are you? If you’re new here welcome to my first blog post of 2021 and actually my first blog post since August. I’ve had writers block big time and have many little unfinished blogs on the side of my tool bar the just haven’t made it over the line, I’ve also found the transition and the new post lockdown Dental Hygienist life pretty challenging (queue the violins) BUT I’ve set my goal of sitting back down and writing today because I bloody love it and I had such lovely feedback last year so if you were one of those people Thankyou so so much.

When it comes to the new year everyone always seems to be keen to make changes or try something new. We spend these last few limbo days making outrages promises to ourselves and although some of them really do stick for some people these usually come crashing down around us.

I was listening to some really cool insights from Jordan Peterson (a psychologist and author) who says that most of his patients anxiety and depression problems can be solved by waking up at the same time every morning and eating a healthy balanced diet. Okay okay so I’m paraphrasing a bit here but what this highlights to me is the importance of routine. Now Jordan isn’t the only one who loves a routine, your gums love it too and over Christmas most people’s gums could not be more out of a routine.

Now that we’re entering a new year let’s press the reset button and let’s get back into a routine. Most of my patients think I’m going to shout at them...I actually have no idea where this comes from it always makes me laugh, the main thing you’ll always find me saying is let’s draw a line under it. Albeit some of my patients need to draw more lines more often than others but if you’re suffering from Gingivitis starting again ALWAYS works - not so much for a relapse of Gum Disease but we’ll get back to that in a second.

How exactly do we start again?

Check the head of your toothbrush and change either the whole thing or just the head if you have an electric toothbrush if the bristles are splayed - if you got a new brush for Christmas lucky you if you got one of the new Oral B iO* brushes you’re even luckier, you can check out my review down below
Clean in between your teeth with some interdental brushes & floss possibly with the addition of a water flosser - I would absolutely expect to see some bleeding at this stage so don’t panic. If you need any tips on this you can check out these few trouble shooting blogs from the archives
-cleaning in between your teeth
-water flosser
-cleaning your crowns and bridges
- cleaning your dental implants
Brush your teeth and gums gently for two full minutes preferably timed with a timer (it’s longer than you think) making sure that everywhere gets brushed and no tooth is left out again, there may be some bleeding… don’t panic! If you need any more info on this you can check out my blog post here.
Spit out the excess toothpaste and don’t rinse no mouthwash, no water just spit the foamy excess bit out
Repeat twice daily

It’s as easy as that, just over two minutes to get back into your routine and consistency is key.

If unfortunately you’ve previously had Gum Disease and are concerned it has become unstable starting again will do no harm but pair this up with a visit to your Dental Hygienist or Dentist to have your gum health checked professionally. Remember bleeding gums are not normal babe. So along with all your other resolutions make your gum health a priority for 2021, schedule your dental hygiene visit and get started again with your routine today your gums will thank you.

Thanks so much for reading! If you have any questions you can message me through the contact us section or send me a DM over on my Instagram page.

*gifted products