The Art of Brushing Teeth!

In our routine morning chores, the fastest and most neglected task is brushing of teeth.This negligence leads to rushing to the dentist. To maintain the teeth and avoid anxiety especially on the dental chair oral hygiene is to be maintained in a proper way. The simplest way to maintain is to follow a proper brushing technique.

The technique is mentioned below:

• Take a pea size toothpaste on the brush. To avoid missing any teeth, start from left/right last teeth. Close your mouth a bit so that the brush head reaches horizontally. Usually try to cover 3 teeth at a time.
• The brush is kept at an angle of 45degree at the junction of gum line and teeth. Vibrate the brush bristles over the area and then swipe down in case of upper teeth and in upward direction in case of lower teeth. After these surfaces are cleaned, the chewing surface is cleaned in back and forth motion.
• When we brush in the front region the brush head is to be held vertically.

Some reference videos below:

 

When the patient has braces the usual complaint is,"Though I brush my teeth regularly ; I  feel that they are not cleaned ". In such cases along with the above mentioned technique some extra efforts are required. The area between wire and the teeth is cleaned with the help of a proxa brush. The fine bristles of the proxa brush are engaged between the teeth and the wire. A simple to and fro motion will clean the area. Always be careful with the wires while brushing.

The picture below shows proxa brush cleaning.

Children with less than 6 years of age who cannot brush properly; assistance by parents is to be given. Power toothbrushes can help in these cases. In cases of infants, when the teeth are developing and only gums are present; take a gauze and clean the oral cavity. Finger tooth brushes are also available so that it engages the finger and easy to clean.

Some tips:

• Many of us especially in India rely on manjan. Manjan can be used for strengthening gums but may abrade/roughen the tooth surface badly. So a proper toothpaste (any brand) with a toothbrush is good.
• Usually medium bristled tooth brush is recommended. In case of extra sensitive teeth soft bristled brush can be used. A variety of powered toothbrushes can be helpful for physically challenged individuals.
• Twice a day brushing is recommended. 2-3 minutes of brushing time is sufficient.
• In case of braces gargling after every meal is recommended to avoid excessive food lodgement.
• If children are drinking milk at night, brushing should be done after drinking milk.
• A 6 monthly dental visit will help you to enhance the oral hygiene and this will act as a preventive visit rather than an anxious visit with pain to the dentist.

I hope this write-up helps you to refurbish your brushing technique!

Coming up with more simple dental tips to discuss!

!!Keep your teeth healthy to eat all tasty!!