Before I get into the subject and explain how to brush your teeth, there are some points that should be understood first.
What is the purpose of brushing teeth? The primary goal is to eliminate dental plaque and secondary food residues. (Most people do not attach importance to the main purpose and mistakenly think that brushing is for cleaning teeth from food waste or dirt)
So, what is dental plaque? It is a thin layer invisible to the eye, and consists of strains of bacteria that proliferate thanks to food and produce acids, these acids cause tooth decay and ulcers (sores) causing gingivitis and gum disease later.
Where is the dental plaque live? It can develop in the area of the teeth, and where it is protected by the touch of the tongue, lips or defensive attack of saliva. Therefore, it can only live on the smallest connection between the gums and teeth where the bacteria proliferate in the gingival sulcus and reproduce without any problem. So, this is the area that we need to focus on our brushing.
Iron Rules before inserting the brush into the mouth
1) Do not wet the brush. There is no medical justification for this. The opposite is correct in each home we have a device or a glass that we put the brush to dry until the next use, since the fibers of the brush are more efficient when they are dry. If we wanted them wet we could put the brush upside down in a glass with water and disinfectant. But is not. As if it were that before sweeping the house takes the broom and wet it before, does it make sense??? Of course, not
2) You do not need toothpaste at all. Because the mechanical action in the brushing is the cause of the removal of the plaque and not the toothpaste causes its removal. But we want to feel a little freshness then we can add
3) toothpaste as I said before does not cause any removal of the plaque, its action is similar to the action of detergent, which helps to eliminate grease and give brightness but without mechanical action has no effect. But what about the fluoride in the toothpaste.? The absorption of fluoride in the teeth is almost null in adults, unlike the children, but if it will give us peace of mind, you can put toothpaste. de facto all use toothpastes only few have no dental problems and of course is linked to the structure of the teeth in the developmental stages before the eruption.
4) The amount of toothpaste There is no medical justification apply the toothpaste on the whole head of the brush, it is only good for manufacturers. Is enough a small amount, even smaller the size of 1 pea that will give enough freshness and good feeling. And they save us a lot of money.
Now it is possible to brush, (with a manual or electric brush
Iron Rules for brushing teeth
1) It is necessary to work systematically in order not to skip or lose any tooth or side. At first begin on the outside of the teeth on the right side of the lower jaw until you reach the left side return from the inner side from left to right, do the same way the upper teeth of the maxilar . And in the end the masticatory surfaces of the tooth for eliminate dental plaque from de dental fissueres.
2) brushing gently without causing undue pressure to the gums that will cause wounds and also retraction of them as it will also cause excessive erosion of the dental tissue. The pressure exerted is a function of the muscle tone that is unique to each one, so when I see these printed signs, I tell the patient about it.
3) Brushing time because it is necessary to brush 3 of the 5-tooth surface that takes time, the proper brushing should take at least 3-5 minutes. Most people do it within 15 to 30 seconds so it is clear that you cannot remove plaque in such a short time. As I always tell patients it’s like taking a shower of 30 seconds, so basically, we did not do anything.
Manual Brushing Method : There are several methods, but the method that teaches how to brush and demonstrate the complete elimination of plaque is the improved Bass technique that involves putting the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle. Place the fibers at a 45-degree angle with in relation to the teeth in order to enter the gingival sulcus where the gingiva meets the tooth, that is where bacteria proliferate and we need to feel the pressure on the gums, doing so too massages on the gums. Without removing the brush from the place to move it forward-back or in a rotary form for 10 seconds, it is the moment that we know that this way the plaque can be removed, since the fibers move in the periodontal pocket and there is a probability of destruction and remove the plaque. Movement is like standing in place and moving the body or pelvis back and forth just like that. Start at the outside of the lower teeth on the right side Place the brush at 45 degrees Do not remove the brush from the place and move it as I have discribed before, after 10 seconds of movement do sweep out and go forward to other 2-3 teeth depending on the size of the brush and the teeth until reaching the other side (left side) now you have to turn left inside the teeth in the same way, but whenyou aproach to the anterior area due tue shape of the jaw not there is possibility that we can put the brush as we did in the outer area so we put the brush diagonally from above and the head of the brush facing the teeth in its inner part and the fibers penetrating between the teeth and gums that only allows us to brush each tooth at a time and then we return in the right posterior teeth of the jaw as we did in the left. Now in the upper maxilla we act in the same way we did in the lower teeth differently than the anterior internal area placed diagonally with the head of the brush towards the palate this nad aftercontinue to the opposite side.
And finally, we left the chewing surface of the teeth with the movement back and forth, start on the right side and then the left side and repeat the left upper maxillar and then the right side. In order to eliminate bacteria plaque on the occlusal area. the approximate calculation is, assuming three regions each half side of the jaw are 30 seconds * 2 are 60 seconds only for the outside of a jaw, we multiply the inner side and we get 2 minutes each maxillary, * jaws amounts to 4 minutes and at the end the chewing part of the teeth to clean the dental fissueres. Therefore, brushing took 3-5 minutes (depending on quick counting or small teeth) and we still have not cleaned the lateral surfaces, where the toothbrush cannot penetrate and is where most of the frequently occur caries, therefore, dental floss, interdental brushes or mouth irrigators must be used.
Brushing with an Electric Toothbrush: There are different different rules with the electric toothbrush, but the objective is the same purpose, which is to remove the plaque from the connecting area as described above
Iron rules before inserting the brush into the mouth, similar to the manual toothbrush previously explained
1) Do not wet the brush
2) No toothpaste required at all
3) The amount of toothpaste is very small
Iron Rules for Brushing Teeth with Electric Brush
1) The size of the brush head should match the size of a tooth.
2) Brush one tooth at a time and not a few teeth
3) Working systematically without jumping should reach each tooth and each side
4) Gently without pressure – no need to exert force. A strong pressure on the brushes with a pressure sensor will decrease the functioning of the fibers and cause an annoying buzzing. In this case, make sure the hand holds the outer edge of the handle and not near the top of the brush and loosen the grip. In such a situation, the fibers will rotate again. For those who are unable to release grip pressure, you should know that some of the brushes have varying degrees of speed and you can slow down the speed of rotation. Without this feature, this model should not be used as it will cause irreversible damages
5) Keep in mind that it takes time to get used to an electric brush Some patients do not get used to an electric brush easily. Due to annoying buzzing noise. Other causes: gums for various reasons, the gums are very sensitive, to the touch of the fibers that spin in these areas and will cause pain.
6) Brushing time: about 2 – 3 seconds on each side of each tooth. It will take 2-3 minutes the whole mouth. Approximately half the time of manual brushing.
7) Electric brush is not recommended for children under 8 .There is no motor skill, and it is not advisable and do not forget is the eruption period mad the electric brush can cause a lot of pain.
Method of brushing with an electric toothbrush: the same principle explained above with the manual brush, start at jaw to the outside side and place the brush head at 45 degrees so that the fibers penetrate into the area of attachment between the gums and teeth after 2-3 seconds advance and move to the adjacent tooth until you reach the left side, then return internally in the same way, on the anterior teeth in the inner area hold it up when the head towards the tongue should enter into a joint of the tooth with the gums, and then continue to the end of the jaw in the molars in the same way we did the left side, and do it in the upper jaw right external side to the left side and we return to the inner side, when we reach the front area hold the brush in which the head of the brush is in the direction of the palate, final the molars in the internal area as on the left side and finally the occlusal chewing surfaces of each tooth individually on each side, without skipping in order to remove the plaque from the occlusal fissures. And we still have the lateral surface of the tooth where the brush cannot penetrate, and it is there where most of the caries occurs, therefore, dental floss, interdental brushes or mouth irrigators must be used.
Brushing in children: It is important to start early with the brushing habit immediately after the appearance of the first tooth using a suitable brush called finger brush and progressing with the brush according to age. Until the age of 8, there is not enough motor skill for brushing and cannot be effective enough so parents should complete the action. It is important that the child first do the brushing by himself and after the parent completes the action. As in the case of the bathroom you can let your child have fun and play and then at the end one of the parents completes the cleaning, I also refer to the parents complaints, “My son does not brush his teeth,” will you let your son who does not bathe every day ?? Of course not, it all depends on explanation and persuasion, but raising hands which will eventually cause tremendous damage in a short time, which will sometimes require general anesthesia for dental treatment.
Iron rules for children brushing up to 8 years
1) It is not necessary to wet the brush
2) The child should start as soon as possible and even play with the brush, as soon as he is able to hold a spoon without causing harm to himself as it is also a game to imitate the father. This is how you introduce the important habit of hygiene.
- 3) the use of children toothpaste it is richer fluoride that they need because the tooth absorbs fluoride but until to the age of two years, preferably without toothpaste because the children do not yet have the sense to spit and swallow the toothpaste.
- 4) Up to age eight, the parent must complete the action
- 5) very carefully as parents do not feel the pressure they do , be attentive if children say they feel pain or do signals with facial muscles or turn their head when he still does not speak.
- 6) Hold the lower jaw while brushing the lower teeth and hold the neck or head while brushing the upper teeth.7)Kneel down or sit. Do not lie on bed that can be inserted wrongly up the throat. brush when they are at the same height as the child’s eye and the father.
8) Very short brushing time (small teeth) less than a minute all mouth
9) Do not delay placing in the joint area between the tooth and gums, there are no gum problems in children, then the importance is to thoroughly clean the teeth in a circular way. Proper brushing is important from the age of puberty and when there is motor ability.
10) Rotation movements
11) On the night before bedtime, brushing is the last action before going to bed. Do not give a bottle of milk or liquid just water
