An elderly patient comes to see us, and has all of his own teeth. Amazed? Not only does he have all his teeth, but he also has no fillings. When asked how he had achieved this, he said he simply brushed morning and night and flossed fairly frequently. No radical calcium supplements, no sugar-less diets, no brushing 6 times a day… just simple oral hygiene and a healthy diet of moderation.

In Australia today, 49% of kids between the ages of 2 and 12 have at least 2 fillings.

Sadly, our view of fillings and dental treatment has changed – now it seems inevitable and normal to have fillings as a child. Here at Vivid Dental, we want to change that outlook and lower these scary statistics. Fillings and dental treatments are avoidable! Very simple preventative measures could save you many trips to the dentist, all for less than the cost of a filling!

Brushing twice a day is the easiest, simplest way to remove plaque and bacteria from your teeth. This bacteria eats away at the enamel of your teeth, which is what causes holes forming. If you are brushing your teeth only once a day, you aren’t removing the plaque and bacteria frequently enough. Think about what your mouth goes through in a day– breakfast, coffee, a biscuit or two, lunch, soft drink, some fruit, dinner and a nice glass of wine… Now imagine all those foods leaving a film of bacteria on your teeth. It builds and builds throughout your day. So if you are only brushing in the morning, you’re going to bed with loads of plaque and germs damaging your teeth.

Brushing does half the job – the other half is flossing.

While it can seem like a chore if you aren’t a regular flosser, try flossing nightly for 14 nights in a row. We’re sure that it will then become part of your before bed routine and less of a chore.

With brushing, flossing and a moderated diet without too much added sugar, there is no reason you or your kids will have to have fillings.