During another interesting episode of Time with the Dentist, Pepsodent Ghana’s Dental TV show, Dr Gwendolyn Amarquaye-Bayitse emphasized on the fact that brushing twice daily is extremely important.

In her submission, she recounted how growing up, one of the most important things parents do is to drill us in remembering to bush twice daily. This becomes a habit since the habit is formed from childhood and the likelihood that the importance of keeping this habit of brushing twice daily maybe underemphasized.

It is often said that teeth never go out of style and that is why we need to care for them by brushing in the morning and at bedtime. Have you been skipping night brushing? While it may seem tempting to skip brushing your teeth at night especially after a hard day’s work, its importance goes beyond having a fresh breath. It helps prevent cavity, tooth decay, and gum disease.

Speaking about the importance of brushing day and night, Dr Amarquaye-Bayitse said:

 “When we wake up in the morning, we all want to have fresh breath before we go out to meet people and that is very important but also the effect of Fluoride on the teeth is very necessary in the morning, we need fluoride to come in contact with the teeth throughout the process of brushing to help strengthen the teeth and it is advisable we brush after breakfast”

She emphasized that, “brushing in the morning should not be done immediately after breakfast, but you must wait 30minutes to 1 hour after breakfast before brushing”

During the day we consume food and beverages which in addition to the micro-bacteria and germs in our mouth turn to form plaque on the surfaces of our teeth and that is one of the most important reason to brush at night before bedtime to avoid giving these germs and micro-organisms the opportunity to feed on these plaques which results in tooth decay and gum disease.

Dr. Amarquaye-Bayitse reiterates that skipping night brushing rather increases your chances of getting tooth decay and gum diseases.

Brushing day and night is important but brushing at night is even more important. But it’s never too late to get back on the path of brushing in the morning and at night before bedtime, but it’s important to do it sooner, rather than later!

Always remember to invite your family to brush with you and make it a fun and enjoyable activity.

Time with The Dentist is a dental TV show by Pepsodent in partnership with the Ghana Dental Association. The show seeks to educate Ghanaians on basic oral hygiene routines, how to care for the teeth, some myths and facts associated with maintaining good oral hygiene among others.