Advice from the chair · Rugby Smiles
How to keep your mouth healthy between check-ups
The same advice we give every patient — nothing to buy, just what the evidence supports. Four habits that do most of the work, and one visit that does the rest.
Between check-ups
What actually keeps your mouth healthy between check-ups
A check-up is a snapshot — daily habits do most of the work. The same advice we give in the chair: nothing to buy, just what works.
Sugar: how often matters more than how much
We recommend keeping free (added) sugars below 30g a day — roughly seven teaspoons, and less than you’ll find in one bottle of many soft drinks. Just as important is frequency: every sugary snack or drink starts a fresh acid attack on your enamel, so keeping sugar to mealtimes gives your teeth time to recover in between.
Electric brushes do clean better
The evidence is consistent: electric toothbrushes remove more plaque than manual brushing for most people. Two minutes, twice a day, letting the brush do the work — scrubbing hard doesn’t clean better, and over time it can wear enamel and gums.
Any toothpaste — as long as the fluoride is right
We’re impartial on brands, because the brand matters far less than the fluoride. For adults, we recommend checking the ingredients for 1,350–1,500ppm fluoride — that’s what does the protective work. Beyond that, most premium claims are marketing rather than medicine.
Spit, don’t rinse, and clean in between
After brushing, spit out the excess but don’t rinse: rinsing washes away the fluoride that’s still protecting your teeth. Once a day, clean between your teeth with interdental brushes or floss — it’s where brushes can’t reach and where most problems begin.
And every six months or so, a professional clean reaches what home care can’t. Our hygiene page explains the gentle Air-Flow clean →
Then let us check the bits you can’t see.
A check-up every six months is the other half of keeping your mouth healthy. New patients £45 for a limited time (usually £65).