As science makes magnificent advances in the fields of space travel, autonomous technology and artificial intelligence, you would think we would have figured out mundane things like tooth brushing quite a long back. Unfortunately, that is not true. There is still quite a bit of controversy as to the ideal method of brushing, type of brush, frequency of brushing, timing of brushing, age at which to start brushing and the hardness of the bristles themselves. Brushing your teeth incorrectly results in harm to the teeth and the gums, some of which may require a lot of treatment to correct. Our ideas on all of these aspects have evolved through observation and studies in experimental animals and these are the currently accepted recommendations.
When Should Humans Begin Brushing Their Teeth?
This section is — of course — for young parents or soon-to-be parents, because if you can read this then you should have been brushing for a long time already! The first teeth start appearing in the mouth at around the age of six months and this is exactly when you should start brushing your baby's teeth.
A lot of parents are reluctant to start brushing their baby's teeth at an early age, because of misconceptions about the teeth being soft or a fear of injury to the gums. The trick is to take your time and to be gentle so that you do not cause injury, however the teeth must be cleaned as soon as they erupt.
How Often Should You Brush Your Teeth?
Everyone will have heard to brush their teeth twice a day, from their dentist, teacher, or parents at some point in their lives. Not once a day or thrice a day, but twice. Very few, however, would be able to answer why this is so. The answer behind this is steeped in science.
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Research discovered that plaque starts forming around the teeth the instant we are done brushing, so it is futile to brush even 10 times a day to prevent this plaque build up. Actually, we do not even need to prevent plaque build up — all we need to do is to remove it periodically before it starts turning pathogenic. Since salivary flow is decreased at night, plaque build-up reaches a maximum at night, and hence the phenomenon of morning breath and the need to brush. The advice to brush your teeth at night, before going to sleep, serves to ensure a minimum amount of food particles (fuel source for bacteria) are present in the mouth during this decreased period of salivation.
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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.
- Photo courtesy of get directly down via Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/65172294@N00/268763415
- Photo courtesy of get directly down via Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/65172294@N00/268763415
- Photo courtesy of emilianohorcada via Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/emilianohorcada/3699764928
- 1. http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/basics/brushing-and-flossing/article/how-to-brush
- 2. http://maids.ac.in/tooth-brushing.html
- 3. http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/healthy-teeth-14/brushing-teeth-mistakes
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