To keep your teeth and gums healthy, you need to remove plaque effectively every day.
Brushing and flossing are the two most important ways of removing plaque.
How to brush
- Brush at least twice daily:
- at night, before going to sleep
- in the morning, after breakfast.
- Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.
- Use a soft-bristled toothbrush.
- Hold your toothbrush at a 45° angle to your gums.
- Brush all tooth surfaces gently and thoroughly by moving your brush back and forth in short tooth-wide strokes.
Where to buy fluoride toothpaste
Fluoride toothpaste is available from your local supermarket. Most standard toothpastes sold in New Zealand contain at least 1000 ppm fluoride.
Fluoride strength
Toothpastes sold in New Zealand are often labelled using percent measures to indicate strength of the fluoride content. The following table, from the Guidelines for the Use of Fluorides (p19), provides a conversion from percentages to parts per million.
| Percentages (%) | Parts per million (ppm) |
|---|---|
| 0.304% sodium monofluorophosphate | 400 ppm |
| 0.117% sodium fluoride | 500 ppm |
| 0.4% sodium monofluorophosphate | 526 ppm |
| 0.221% sodium fluoride | 1000 ppm |
| 0.76% sodium monofluorophosphate | 1000 ppm |
| 1.1% sodium fluoride | 5000 ppm |
The Expert Advisory Group of the NZ Guidelines Group recommends that:
- toothpastes of at least 1000 ppm is recommended for all ages, and should be used twice daily
- parents and caregivers are advised that a smear of fluoride toothpaste is recommended for children up to 5 years old.
- for children 6 years old and over, a pea-sized amount should be used.
Look for packaging labels that say ‘contains 0.221% sodium fluoride’ or ‘contains 0.76% sodium monofluorophosphate’ to ensure that you purchase toothpastes that contain at least 1000 ppm fluoride. Avoid the ones that are labelled ‘child strength’.
Halal and vegan toothpastes
If you need halal or vegan toothpaste, the Ministry has received advice from Colgate and GlaxoSmithKline that:
- all Sensodyne toothpaste manufactured in Thailand is halal certified
- the following brands do not contain any animal-based components:
- Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection Great Regular Flavour
- Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection Cool Mint
- Colgate Max White Crystal Mint
- Colgate Max Fresh Clean Mint
- Colgate Triple Action
- Sensodyne Whitening plus Tartar
- Sensodyne Rapid Relief
- Sensodyne Rapid Relief Whitening
- Sensodyne Rapid Relief Extra Fresh
- Sensodyne Fluoride Toothpaste
- Sensodyne Fresh Mint
- Sensodyne Extra Gentle floss
- Sensodyne Full Protection Plus Whitening
- Sensodyne Deep Clean
- Sensodyne Whitening and Tartar Fighting Toothpaste
- Sensodyne Complete Protection
- Sensodyne Pronamel Fresh Breath.
Please note that while these products do not contain animal based components and animal products are not used in their manufacture, Colgate and GlaxoSmithKline have advised that these products are not formally certified as vegan.
Forgotten to brush?
If you forget to brush, or no toothbrush is handy, it’s not the end of the world … just brush whenever you can next.
Meanwhile, you can:
- rinse using water or saline solution (made by dissolving salt in water)
- then rub toothpaste around your teeth with your finger.
Reproduced with the permission of the New Zealand Dental Association, based on the ‘Keeping Your Teeth for a Lifetime ... Easy As’ resource.
