How to thoroughly brush teeth

Dental Care23 March, 2011 - 23:07
How to thoroughly brush teeth

For proper dental hygiene, it is essential to choose an appropriate toothbrush and toothpaste, use dental floss and/or an interdental toothbrush in order to remove all tooth deposits (plaque) from the tooth surfaces and the space between teeth. Thorough brushing is more important than the duration of brushing.

Some will say that the question is ridiculous, but I don’t know if you knew, dear Plidenta fans, that toothpaste use in Croatia is somewhere around 3.5 tubes per capita annually, and toothbrushes even less, maybe 0.8 annually. However, everyone will say that they regularly brush their teeth, although according to this data, it could be concluded that Croatians brush their teeth about 70 days per year. For one brushing session using a toothbrush with a head about 2.5 cm long, approximately 2 ml of toothpaste is used, twice a day equals 4 ml. As one tube of toothpaste is usually 75 ml, regular brushing would use up a tube in 18 days (a little bit would probably stay in the tube). So we would use those three and a half annual tubes in 63 days. Alright, if you put one centimeter of toothpaste on your toothbrush, you would use up the annual average in 150 days. Regardless of the fact that we would like you to use Plidenta as often as possible, when brushing teeth, it is more important to be thorough.

Prim dr. sc. Alenka Rajić, D.D.M., specialist of pedodontics and social dentistry explains how to brush teeth thoroughly:

In order to clean the outer side of teeth, use the toothbrush to make circular motions from the gums towards the tooth. Use the toothbrush to make circular movements from the red to the white, from the gums towards the teeth. The upper tooth surface (on the bottom half of the jaw) or the bottom tooth surface (in the upper half of the jaw) is brushed with straight back and forth movements. From top to bottom in the upper jaw, or from bottom to top in the bottom jaw, towards the front. Brushing the inside part of the teeth shouldn’t be forgotten since it is especially susceptible to the actions of harmful bacteria and sugar from food which remains on the tongue.

We recommend the following brushing order: place the brush horizontally on the outer surface of the last upper right molar. Use the already mentioned circular motions to brush the teeth. When you reach the incisors, turn the brush to the left and continue brushing to the last molar on the left side. Continue brushing the bottom left side using the same technique all the way to the last tooth on the right side. With an open mouth, brush horizontally using back and forth motions of the biting surfaces of the right, and then the left side of the bottom teeth. Switch to the upper left, and then right teeth. After that, place the brush perpendicular to the inside side of the teeth and brush them. First the upper teeth from right to the upper left molar. Repeat the brushing in the bottom jaw from the left to the right, where we finish brushing. By using this method, we can achieve cleanliness of all tooth surfaces and decrease the risk of plaque and cavity development.

Dental floss

Dental floss or interdental toothbrushes are essential for removing food remains that cannot be removed by brushing with an ordinary brush. Keeping food in this area is very dangerous, both for the formation of plaque and cavities, as well as for the formation of gum disease and paradontitis. The use of dental floss is a very old, but very efficient method for maintaining dental hygiene and removing bacterial deposits. It is useful for cleaning the areas between teeth. It has been proven efficient at removing deposits in the dental neck, below the gums.

The floss must glide between the teeth, catch a large area of that space in order to remove as many tooth deposits as possible. It is important to use it properly. Improper or rough use is risky because it can cause damage to the gums between two teeth (interdental papilla).

Children can use it as well. Until they master the method and the pressure used, parents should do it for them.

Both regular and waxed floss are used. Some believe that a layer of wax remains on the surface of the tooth enamel, so decreasing the preventive effects of fluoride from toothpaste. There is also some speculation regarding the possible expansion of the interdental area. It could be concluded that unwaxed floss is preferred. Various aromas (menthol) are used for a more pleasant flavour.

With diseases of the soft tissue of the mouth, especially with receding gums, the tools used for additional oral hygiene before or after brushing must be chosen by an expert.

Interdental toothbrushes

Interdental toothbrushes are useful tools used for cleaning the areas between teeth that are inaccessible to ordinary toothbrushes. They are made of synthetic bristles on a wire stem.

They must be adapted in size to naturally or artificially created areas between teeth. They should not stick, but they should cover the entire surface and using light horizontal movements, clean it from food particles and bacterial build-up. In that way, we can inhibit the formation of a large percentage of cavities on tooth surfaces that are inaccessible to self-cleaning or brushing with a toothbrush. They are also useful for maintaining the necessary hygiene levels of orthodontic devices, caps and dentures.

The right choice and use represent an additional important measure in maintaining the level of oral hygiene recommended by the professionals.

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