Oral Health for Adults Fluoride Although most dentists recommend you drink fluoridated water, you will find information all over the web in which drinking of fluoridated water is seen as bad for your general health. In the Netherlands and Belgium it is at this moment forbidden to add chemicals to drinking water. For children fluoride has different effects than for adults and I do not recommend fluoridated drinking water for adults. Having said this, it is a good idea to continue to use fluoridated toothpaste, even at older ages. This is because local application of fluoride does reduce caries and especially when you have receded gums it gives protection for the cementum on the exposed roots. Smoking   Yes indeed, smoking is not sexy any more ... Apart from the stain you get on your teeth, it noticeably deteriorates the health of your gums and increases the risk of tooth loss ... Sorry, no good news here ... And did you know that ... You can clean your teeth better if you put the toothbrush under an angle of 45 degrees The hairs should point towards the gum When your gums start to bleed during brushing they are probably inflamed: increase your brushing of the gums and you will find they wil heal ... Taking a painkiller before having dental procedures can make your visit to the dentist more relaxed. Just make sure it is not aspirin you take, since this increases bleeding ...