At Lindley dental we have 2 nurses who are qualified oral health educators. This month the blog is from one of them Jackie Smith:
As an oral educator at Lindley Dental I enjoy promoting good oral health to our patients, teaching them good oral hygiene and tooth friendly diet.
I recently organised and ran an oral health day for children during February half term. I spent time emphasising our three oral health messages: Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, avoid sugary drinks and snacks plus visit your dentist twice year.
During the oral health day, I ran some fun activities and showed top tips for tooth brushing. The children were advised to brush twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste, always before bedtime and on one other occasion, also to spit but don’t rinse. I always ask parents to supervise their children’s tooth brushing until they are at least seven years old.
I will talk about how different sweet foods and drinks can cause holes in teeth and by limiting their frequency we can stop this from happening. I always encourage a healthier snack choice.
By encouraging regular attendance for routine dental health checks we can see how much the tooth brushing has improved as well as looking for holes in the teeth and checking any changes in the diet.
The children always go away with a goody bag and a “smile on their face”
