Brushing 101
We have been brushing our teeth all our lives. We take out the tooth brush, smear some toothpaste on it and start scrubbing. The most technique sensitive portion is just making sure we make contact with as many teeth as possible, before we get bored and move on with our lives.
The surprise is that most of us have been brushing our teeth wrong this entire time! So here are some tips that can help your tooth brushing, making sure your teeth are pearly white and your breath stays fresher than a bouquet of roses.
Do we just scrub or is there a specific way to brush our teeth?
One of the main reasons we brush our teeth is to remove the food pieces and plaque that builds up during the course of the day. This is brought about by the mechanical scrubbing technique of tooth brushing.
So what is the right way? Scrubbing side to side? Small circles? or freestyle? To make sure we get rid of all the food and plaque that’s stuck in the small crevices around our mouth we have to follow the “sulcular” or “modified bass” method.
1. Angle the brush 45 degrees to the gums, so that the bristles are able to reach the sulcus of the gum, between your teeth and gums.
2. Move the brush is small circles, only focusing on one tooth at a time.
3. Do this for the outside and inside portions of the tooth
4. Finally, focus on the chewing surface of your teeth, placing the brush vertically and moving in small circular methods.
5. Just follow the above technique 2X per day, for 2 minutes each time and your are golden!
The tooth paste is the unsung hero!
For general healthy mouth, tooth paste does two jobs. One is that it changes the acid/ base balance in the mouth, to a more basic environment, that prevents the bacteria in your to cause cavities. The second is actually caused by the fluoride content in the tooth paste.
The fluoride directly stops the bacteria from breaking down sugars and in order to cause cavities. And in turn, by preventing oral bacteria from flourishing, we promote a nice fresh breath
What type of tooth brush?
The main questions nowadays on people’s minds are whether to get a manual tooth brush or an electric one. Electric tooth brushes are shown to make our lives much easier, with less effort taken during the tooth brushing process.
With the electric toothbrush we just have to angle the brush head in the manner we talked about before and let the brush do the work. But, research has told us that, if you are an effective manual tooth brusher, there is actually no added advantage of using an electric tooth brush.
As long as you brush twice a day, for two minutes, with the “sulcular” or “modified bass” method, you are on the right path for perfect oral health.
Whether manual or electric, make sure to pay close attention to the type of bristles that your tooth brush has. We recommend soft or medium bristles. Brushing teeth with dense or hard bristles open up the possibility of causing abrasion to your teeth and gums, causing trauma or sensitivity.
