Brushing teeth twice a day and not eating too much sugar are the most important things for good dental health, according to dentists.

But, despite being seemingly simple advice, there are an array of mistakes you may be making when trying to keep your pearly whites in tip-top condition. 

Here, a dentist tells MailOnline the common errors that should be avoided.

Using mouthwash 

It is a go-to habit for many Brits to rinse their with water or mouthwash after brushing their teeth.

But Dr Praveen Sharma, a Birmingham-based specialist in restorative dentistry and scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, says using mouthwash straight after brushing will dilute the benefit of fluoride in your toothpaste.

Fluoride remineralises tooth enamel, reverses early tooth decay and stops the growth of cavity-causing bacteria. It reduces your risk of cavities by 25 per cent.

Using mouthwash or rinsing straight after brushing your teeth can remove the fluoride residue left your teeth which helps protect them from harmful bacteria.  

Dr Sharma said: ‘After brushing, spit don’t rinse, or you’ll dilute the benefit of fluoride.

‘If you use mouthwash, the same principle applies, make sure to use at a different time to brushing.’

Removing the fluoride can increase the risk of gum disease and took decay.  

Brushing less than an hour after eating

If you want to keep your smile white and maintain perfect dental hygiene, experts suggest waiting at least 60 minutes before brushing your teeth.

Cleaning too soon after eating can damage the enamel layer on your tooth.

Your teeth need time to remineralise naturally, especially after eating something acidic, like a fizzy drink.

‘Ideally, leave a gap of between 30-60 minutes after eating or drinking before brushing your teeth, because the mouth needs a little time to clean itself and let the surfaces of the teeth reset,’ added Dr Sharma.

‘You might think that ”diet” soft drinks, fruit juices and smoothies are safe alternatives, but they aren’t: there’s an acid component to many of them which attacks the surface of your teeth, raising the risk of erosion – wearing away the surface of the teeth – and tooth decay.’

Tooth decay happens when bacteria creates a sticky layer called plaque over your teeth and damages the surface over time.

Around 27 per cent of adults in England suffer from tooth decay.

Not using interdental brushes

Pieces of food and plaque can build up in the gaps of your teeth over time.

If left, it can slowly rot your teeth and cause gum disease — they become sore, swollen, and can also start to bleed.

Interdental brushes have small bristled heads that you can use to clean out any hidden food or plaque.

Dr Sharma said: ‘Aim to clean the spaces in between your teeth (where there is space) with interdental brushes at least once a day.

‘It is advisable to do this before brushing. If the spaces between the teeth are too tight to insert a brush, use floss.

‘When brushing, aim the bristles of the brush down towards the gum for the bottom teeth and up towards the gum for the top teeth at 45 degrees.

‘This allows the bristles to go slightly below the gum line.’

He recommends brushing in small, circular motions to prevent a ‘scrubbing motion’ which can damage the teeth and gums.

Not brushing teeth before bed 

While brushing your teeth before bed may seem obvious, research suggests more Brits are brushing their teeth in the morning than in the evening.

Brits who brush twice a day are more likely to brush in the morning (87 per cent) than the evening (72 per cent), according to a YouGov survey. 

Of those who say they only brush their teeth once a day, 70 per cent say they do so in the morning and only 23 per cent clean them in the evening. 

Not brushing your teeth for a night allows bacteria to feast on sugars from food and mouth acids while the body’s saliva defences are down.

Saliva helps wash sugar from your mouth into the stomach and helps fight bacteria.

Dr Sharma said: ‘Brush teeth twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste for at least two minutes to thoroughly clean all the surfaces of your teeth, especially last thing before going to bed when saliva production is at its lowest – saliva helps to wash away the bacteria that cause tooth decay.’

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If a friend or loved one suffers a medical emergency, it can be easy to panic. 

More and more Americans are avoiding the emergency room, according to a January poll from Gallup, with nearly four in 10 putting off medical treatment due to financial concerns. 

However, ER doctors say that taking someone to the hospital yourself instead of waiting for an ambulance could deny them vital medical care. 

Calling an ambulance could save a life and prevent complications. 

Speed is also essential. Research shows that someone having a stroke loses 1.9 million neurons each minute they are left untreated. 

Dr Robert Femia, chair of emergency medicine at NYU Langone Health, told DailyMail.com about the three mistakes people make when dealing with an emergency that could cost a life.

Don’t Delay Calling 911 

This is Dr Femia’s number one tip, mainly because ‘many things that that we can do are time sensitive,’ he said. 

‘There’s a golden hour where the sooner you can get patients, for example, to a trauma center, their survivability is much greater,’ he said.  

Calling 911 as soon as possible is the first step to getting someone care.  

In situations like a stroke, for example, timely care is key to avoiding lasting consequences, including memory loss, mobility, and speech problems. 

‘You really want to activate the 911 system to get people either care on the scene by healthcare professionals or get them to the hospital as quickly as possible,’ Dr Femia said. 

Avoid calling the person’s loved ones or friends until 911 has been contacted and emergency services are on the way. 

‘If it’s truly an emergency, you don’t want to necessarily waste time calling a friend who’s in healthcare, or a family doctor’s office. If it’s truly an emergency, you should be calling 911,’ Dr Femia said. 

Don’t Drive the Person Yourself

While it may seem like a good idea instead if there are ambulance delays, Dr Femia said that trying to drive someone to the hospital yourself could further prolong treatment.  

With an ambulance, you’re bringing care directly to the patient in a way that you can’t with any other method of transportation.  

‘The EMS system carries many life-saving drugs,’ he said. 

This includes defibrillators, IV fluids, and and cardiac medications. 

Emergency medical services also know where the best hospitals are to bring patients with specialized symptoms. For example, if someone is having a stroke, paramedics are more likely to know where the nearest stroke center is. 

‘All of those things can really help save a life,’ Dr Femia said. 

He said this is true for any life-threatening condition.  

Look for an AED

Dr Femia recommends that if other bystanders are busy calling 911 and watching the person, scan the area for an automated external defibrillator (AED). 

An AED is an easy-to-use medical device meant for someone who is experiencing cardiac arrest. 

‘A lot of public places now have AEDs on the wall,’ Dr Femia said. ‘Somebody should be looking for that while someone else is calling 911.’ 

This device requires no previous medical knowledge, he said, and it has instructions to guide a person through the process. 

In public, these are often stored near stairs or elevators, in lobbies, or by entrances.

Don’t Move the Person

This is especially dangerous if you don’t know what exactly happened to the person. If they have a traumatic injury, moving them could lead to permanent effects, such as paralysis. 

You may get the instinct to move a person closer to your car or to another area so you can transport them easier, but Dr Femia said that can do more harm than good because you aren’t calling 911.

‘Not only could you injure them, but you’re also just delaying getting the appropriate care to them,’ he said. 

To avoid this, leave it up to emergency medical teams to move the patient safely. 

These strategies can be used in most emergencies, but saving someone’s life from a drug overdose require more specialized measures. 

… and how to stop a fentanyl overdose

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. 

It binds to opioid receptors in a person’s nervous system, which are responsible for giving the body a pleasurable feeling when activated.

It takes a vanishingly small dose of fentanyl to cause a fatal overdose. Just two milligrams, the equivalent of five grains of salt, is enough to cause death. 

The National Institutes of Health estimated fentanyl-related deaths in young people increased by 182 percent from 2019 to 2021.  

The drug has become the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 49. It has also dropped the average life expectancy in the US from 78.8 in 2019 to 76.4 in 2021. Experts have described this drop as ‘dramatic’ and ‘substantial.’ 

Because of this widespread epidemic, overdosing has become one of the most common medical emergencies in the US.  

Bystanders can administer Narcan, a nasal spray that has been shown to quickly reverse an opioid overdose. 

It has been shown to prevent fatal overdoses from fentanyl, as well as drugs such as oxycodone and heroin.

Narcan is administered via a nasal spray.

The person’s head should be tilted back with neck support before inserting the tip of the nozzle into one nostril. 

Your fingers on either side of the nozzle should be against the bottom of the person’s nose. 

Press the red plunger firmly to give the dose, then remove from the nostril. The dose takes two to three minutes to work. If there is no change after three to five minutes, administer a second dose.

Narcan only lasts between 30 and 90 minutes, so it is possible that another overdose could occur. Stay with the person and wait out the risk period so another dose can be administered accordingly. 

If the person goes into cardiac arrest, their chances of survival dwindle the longer the arrest lasts.  

Always call emergency medical help after administering the dose.