[Basic Dental Knowledge] What is the correct tooth brushing method for me?
Why do we brush our teeth every day?
“We have to brush our teeth 3 times a day”
“We have to brush our teeth to prevent cavities...”
I am sure you have heard such advices many times before.
Did your ever think about why it is three times and how to clean to prevent cavities?
When I talk to my patients, many of them say “I don’t know why I get so many cavities while I brush my teeth 5 times a day,” and “I was born with weak gums. It seems like I was born with all my parents’ bad traits...”
In fact, most of the patients seem to feel this way.
Of course, there are those whose teeth were improperly formed during their teeth maturing period or those who were born with weak teeth.
But, that’s only true for a very few number of people, and most them are caused by incorrect care.
Why do we need to brush our teeth?
In a textbook, the purpose of tooth brushing is defined as the following:
"Tooth brushing removes acquired pellicle, food residue, plaque, etc. attached between the surfaces of teeth and proximal surfaces, increases blood supply to gingiva by massaging the gingiva, and increases resistance to infection by accelerating the cornification of gingival epithelium.”
The most important part here is the removal of plaque.
That’s because most of the common diseases such as cavity (dental caries) and gum diseases (gingivitis, periodontitis) are caused by germs.
So, let’s find out where germs usually congregate?
Here, germs have dyed at red. As shown in the picture, germs usually reside between teeth and gums, and between teeth. It’s similar to cleaning your house. The areas you can clearly see can be cleaned easily, but places where you can’t easily reach such as cracks between furniture or under the bed remain dusty. It’s important to remind yourself of this picture and brush every corner of your teeth.
Now then, let’s take a look at 2 methods of tooth brushing and see which method is more beneficial.
1. Rolling method
This method is recommended for the general public and people without any special oral diseases. It is the most common method.
Face the brush toward the dental roots and place the head of the brush parallel to the line of the gums. Apply light force and rotate the wrist to brush down.
Benefits: It is highly effective in removing plaque and massaging the gums, and it is easy to learn and use.
Drawbacks: It is difficult to use for children under 7~8 years of age and patients with special oral conditions.
2. Modified Bass method
Place the brush at a 45º angle on the teeth so the head of the brush is in the gingival sulcus (deep valley-like area where the teeth and gums meet) and apply 20 oscillations at a speed of 4 oscillations per second. (Refer to the figure) Then, apply the brushing down motion similar to the rolling method.
Benefits: It is highly effective in removing plaque in the gingival sulcus and massaging the gums, and it alleviates gum inflammation and recovers the health of periodontal tissue.
Drawbacks: It is difficult to practice properly without special attention, and food residues between teeth are hard to remove.
Conclusively, I recommend the rolling method if you do not have any special oral diseases.
On the other hand, if you have a gum disease (gingivitis, periodontitis, etc.), I recommend the modified bass method.
Personally, I use the modified bass method overall once and use the rolling method again in repetition. Although it is time consuming, it is very effective!
In fact, there are a number of tooth brushing methods.
The Fones method which is favorable for infants, Stillman method which is good for patients with gum inflammation, Charters method which is favorable for people with dental prosthesis, Watanabe method, Scrub method which moves the head of the brush front to back, etc...
However, you can successfully keep your mouth healthy just by properly using the 2 methods mentioned earlier.
But, above all! Don’t forget to brush your teeth after eating!
Interesting and thanks for sharing. Though, it does raise a question based from my personal experiences. Is it really the brushing techniques that stop cavities, or, is it the medium/cleanser used to clean the teeth? Quick story about me then maybe one about one of my clients. For me, I did the brushing 3 times a day using the "rolling method" from the time I was a little ankle-biter up until just a few years ago. (I am 29 now). During that time, cavities would inevitably develop and grow larger over time. I had 3 teeth pulled. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I was rinsing and brushing with ADA approved pastes/mouthwashes in addition to flossing. Still, I was getting cavities. I didn't really each much sugar. Then a few years ago, I ran out of toothpaste in a house full of impoverished hippie types. One of them suggested that I brush with Baking Soda and rinse with Peroxide. I started doing this daily. Within 2 weeks, the toothaches that I would experience with my cavities subsided. Soon after, they rarely ever came back even if I was chewing hard food like a pig. Also, the cavities stopped getting bigger. They have remained the same size since then and toothaches rarely bother me now. With Toothpaste and mouthwash, I would deal with toothaches weekly and daily sometimes. It was horrible. Thanks for sharing, btw. I will share my client's experience in a separate comment.
Thanks @mediteam for giving such an important information about tooth brushing.. I am generally using the rolling method in brushing... But about 2nd one method I had no previous concept.. Thanks again.
Concerning my client's dental experience, for now, let us call him Vlad.
Vlad was like me and did what his parents, school, and dentists told him to do. This resulted in getting cavities and not understanding why. He had to go to the Dentist frequently for scrapings and cavity work.
One day, he was turned onto the idea of an all raw fruit diet. He started adhering to this diet and even started filming/sharing his experience and progress.
He would eat nothing but raw fruit all day and drink fresh squeezed juice. He brushed once a day with a plain brush with no medium added. He did this for a period of 6 months then went to see his Dentist for his scheduled exam. His Dentist was quite shocked....
"Hm, Vlad, it doesn't look like your teeth need me at all! Normally I at least have to do a scraping, but your teeth are the cleanest I have ever seen. What did you start doing different?"-Vlad's Dentist
Vlad was honest with him and revealed his daily practice of eating raw fruits and brushing with nothing but a brush. His Dentist told him something like, "Well, it seems to be working, so I would keep it up!"
Granted, the raw fruit diet may not be for everyone. Vlad's example has proven that a human can not only survive eating nothing but fruit, but an all fruit diet is good for oral health and high energy for an active lifestyle. (Vlad likes his hikes. Oh, and no, to answer your question, this Vlad has not impaled anyone to this journalist's knowledge)
Thanks for sharing. Much love!
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
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