Wat die tandarts ook al aanbeveel, bly mondhigiëne en tandvlos belangrik.

It is the Afrikaans way to say whatever the dentist recommends.

The key pattern is:

• wat ... ook al = whatever
• compare:
  • wie ... ook al = whoever
  • waar ... ook al = wherever

So even though the words do not translate word-for-word neatly into English, the whole clause means whatever the dentist recommends.

Wat by itself usually just means what or that which.
Adding ook al gives it the broader meaning whatever / no matter what.

So:

• wat die tandarts aanbeveel = what the dentist recommends
• wat die tandarts ook al aanbeveel = whatever the dentist recommends

In this sentence, ook al adds the idea of it doesn’t matter what the dentist recommends.

Because wat die tandarts ook al aanbeveel is a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans subordinate clauses the finite verb normally goes to the end.

That is why you get:

• Die tandarts beveel dit aan. = The dentist recommends it.
• ... wat die tandarts aanbeveel = ... what/whatever the dentist recommends

So the verb appears at the end because of normal subordinate-clause word order.

This is because aanbeveel comes from a separable verb.

In a main clause, the verb splits:

• Die tandarts beveel dit aan.

In a subordinate clause, the parts usually come back together at the end:

• ... wat die tandarts aanbeveel

That is a very common Afrikaans pattern with separable verbs.

Because the sentence starts with a fronted clause:

• Wat die tandarts ook al aanbeveel, ...

After that first element, Afrikaans puts the finite verb next. This is the usual verb-second pattern.

So:

• normal order: Mondhigiëne en tandvlos bly belangrik.
• after a fronted clause: Wat die tandarts ook al aanbeveel, bly mondhigiëne en tandvlos belangrik.

So bly comes early because the opening clause takes the first position.

Here bly means remain or stay.

So:

• bly belangrik = remain important

It is not the live/reside meaning of bly here. It is a linking verb, like English remain in remain important.

Afrikaans often leaves out articles when talking about things in a general sense.

So here:

• mondhigiëne = oral hygiene in general
• tandvlos = dental floss / flossing in general

This is similar to English sentences like:

• Exercise is important.
• Good hygiene matters.

You do not need ’n here because the sentence is not talking about one specific floss or one specific oral-hygiene routine.

It can mean dental floss as a noun, but in a sentence like this English often translates it more naturally as flossing.

So the Afrikaans wording can cover the general idea of using floss, and the best English rendering may be:

• oral hygiene and flossing remain important

rather than the more literal:

• oral hygiene and dental floss remain important

Both come from the same Afrikaans word here.

It is a compound noun:

• mond = mouth
• higiëne = hygiene

So mondhigiëne literally means mouth hygiene, which is naturally translated as oral hygiene.

The ë shows that the vowels are pronounced separately, not merged into one sound.

So it helps mark the syllables more clearly, roughly like:

• hi-gi-ë-ne

This kind of spelling mark is common in Afrikaans and helps with pronunciation.

Yes. Belangrik means important, and here it is used predicatively, after the linking verb bly:

• mondhigiëne en tandvlos bly belangrik

So literally:

• oral hygiene and flossing remain important

It is not describing a noun directly before it; it is completing the idea after bly.