More Common Tooth Brushing Myths Busted

What Is The Best Tooth Brushing Technique?

A surprisingly large amount of work has been done on deciphering the best brushing techniques. The one thing all research into this subject found is that people are unlikely to follow any particular technique when they dedicate exactly 30 seconds to it out of their incredible busy day. Seriously, make sure you give at least a leisurely minute to yourself for brushing your teeth.

Most people follow what is called the "horizontal scrub", since it is the easiest method to follow. It involves placing the brush head on your teeth and then vigorously moving it back and forth. This results in the maximum amount of enamel wear out of any technique. The most commonly recommended one, however, is the technique where you brush away from the gums in short vibratory strokes since it achieves excellent plaque removal and is very gentle on the teeth. 

What Kind Of Tooth Brush Should You Use?

So many different types of brushes are available, with every company claiming that their brush design is most efficient at removing plaque from your teeth. Then there are also the powered toothbrushes with all kinds of rotating heads and speeds. What is the answer? What is the best?

It looks like it really does not matter. Most non-sponsored papers that have studied different designs and brands have found that almost all of them work to a similar extent, irrespective of any special features that they might claim. The real trick lies in the dexterity of the user and the comfort that they feel with a particular kind of brush. For people who are suffering from disabilities or elderly people who are dependent upon care givers to help them with their brushing, powered rotating toothbrushes have a big advantage over manual ones.

Every brush that is sold is marked as soft, medium or hard according to certain standard specifications. A lot of people tend to choose a hard or a medium brush thinking it will help them clean the teeth better, however that is the absolute worst thing that you can do for your teeth. There is enough evidence to conclusively prove that we do not need to apply much pressure while cleaning our teeth and that even brushes rated as soft or super soft are more than adequate to clean the surfaces of the teeth.

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Remember...

Brushing the right way is a habit that everyone should inculcate from as young an age as possible, however there is no age that is too late to start making changes for the better. So keep things simple, buy a brush that you feel comfortable with, try and reach every surface of every tooth without applying too much pressure and remember to brush twice a day. Done.