Teeth Brushing
 |
Teeth brushing using an electric toothbrush. |
How to have healthy teeth?
Brush your teeth twice daily at least two minutes
with fluoride toothpaste.
Dental plaque is a bacterial film which coats
your teeth if you brush your teeth with improper way. It contributes later to
disease of gum and dental decay.
So teeth brushing stops building up of plaque.
Should we use a manual or electric toothbrush?
There is no
great difference between their effects as long as you clean all surfaces of
your teeth with a right way and using of fluoride toothpaste.
But some people prefer to use an electric toothbrush as they found it easier to clean their teeth.
How can we choose a suitable toothbrush?
For adults,
a toothbrush with a small head and a compact, angled arrangement of long of
short and long round end bristles is good.
Also using
of toothbrush with soft or medium bristles is the best.
An electric
toothbrush either oscillating or rotating head type works better than a manual
toothbrush.
Make sure that cleaning your teeth twice daily with a right technique is more important than the type of the type of brush you use.
What is the best type of toothpaste?
First, you
should use a toothpaste that contain an appropriate amount of fluoride.
So it is
preferable to check your toothpaste brand to find out the amount of fluoride
which this brand contains.
Adults
usually use a toothpaste which contains at least 1,350 parts per million (ppm)
fluoride.
Children of
different ages can use their family toothpaste as long as this toothpaste
contains amount of fluoride between 1,350 to 1,500 ppm. Children aged 3 and
under who have healthy not decayed teeth can use lower strength toothpaste of
children and should contains at least 1,000 ppm fluoride.
Children
aged 3 and under should use only a smear of toothpaste.
It is
preferable for children aged 3 to 6 years to use a pea sized blob of
toothpaste.
Your
dentist may give you an advice to use a toothpaste which contain a high amount
of fluoride if you need that. And put the toothpaste tube away from your child
to avoid its licking or eating.
How patients can brush their teeth?
Cleaning
all surfaces of all teeth is necessary, That should take about at least 2
minutes.
Surfaces of
teeth should be involved during teeth brushing are inside surfaces, outside
surfaces and chewing surfaces of your teeth.
What are the instructions that parents should follow to brush the teeth of their children?
Start
brushing the teeth of your children early. And this by working with your child
to establish a good dental caring routine and stick to it.
Give your
children clear and good reasons to make them aware of the importance of teeth
brushing. By telling them that teeth brushing helps you to prevent dental
cavities and gives you a beautiful smile.
Show and
tell them using a toothbrush. So you should brush your teeth while your child
is brushing and show him on a low level to enable your child to see what you
are doing.
Help your
child by demonstrating how to brush in circles like wheels of train going
around on a track from right to left and left to right.
Show your
children how they can brush all surfaces of their teeth, top and bottom, front
and back.
Let your
children choose their own toothbrush and toothpaste. As they are available in
different characters varying in shape and color. So let your children to choose
their favorite color and shape as this will encourage them later to brush their
teeth.
Encourage
your children around age 2 to brush their teeth by themselves.
Create a
teeth brushing game with your children by ask them to brush their teeth then set
a timer and give them at least 2 minutes to brush their teeth. See if they can
continue for the correct amount of time or not. Brush your teeth while they are
brushing and encourage them to create more bubbles with their brushing. Ask your
children to show how they can brush their teeth after getting rid of monsters
of cavity. And it is important to make them watch funny educational videos
about teeth brushing to make them aware of teeth brushing importance.
Compliment the brushing and flossing of your children and reward them when they brush and floss their teeth (Brushing should be 2 times and flossing 1 time daily).
Why rinsing the teeth after teeth brushing is not correct?
After
brushing, it is better to spit out any excess toothpaste.
Avoid to
rinse your mouth immediately after teeth brushing as this will remove the
concentrated fluoride in the remaining toothpaste.
So this rinsing dilutes and reduces its effects.
Should we use a mouthwash?
Using of fluoride containing mouthwash helps in preventing of teeth
decay, but avoid to use a mouthwash even one which contains fluoride
immediately after brushing of teeth as it will wash away the fluoride layer of
toothpaste from your teeth.
So you should choose another time to use a mouthwash, such as after
lunch.
Avoid to eat for half an hour after using of fluoride toothpaste.
How we can use a dental floss?
Dental flossing is not only for removing the wedged food between your
teeth.
It can also reduce gingival disease and bad breath by removing dental
plaque which forms along the gum line.
It is better to floss your teeth before brushing them.
Take 35 to 50cm of floss or dental tape and grasp it. So you have 3cm or
4 cm of floss taut between your hands.
Enter your dental floss or tape between the teeth and into the space
between your teeth and gums as far as possible.
Using of dental floss with 7 to 10 up and down strokes between each
tooth helps in dislodging and removing of food remnant and plaque.
How we can use our interdental brush?
If there are gaps between our teeth, It is better to use interdental
brush or single tufted brush instead of dental floss.
To get the best result, The brush should be snugly fitted between the
teeth.
It is not preferable to use toothpicks in removing of trapped food from
between the teeth as this may damage your gingiva then lead to an infection.
You should ask your dentist or dental hygienist about the best way to clean between your teeth.