MANIPULATING THE BRUSH
To cleanse the occlusal surfaces of teeth, the tips of the bristles should be worked into the pits and fissures with enough vibration to loosen and dislodge all debris. Continue reading
Tag Archives: bristles
Plaque 101 Part 2
The following program, when followed nightly, can aid in the prevention of plaque, tooth decay and gum disease.
Dry brushing. The first step is brushing every tooth with a dry toothbrush at the gum crevice, both on the inside and on the outside of teeth. Hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to the teeth and slide the bristles closest to the inside of the upper lip under the gum. Vibrate the brush, making sure the tips of the bristles rotate under the gums (rather like scrubbing the cuticle of a fingernail). Use about ten quick rotations of the brush per tooth, trying not to lift the brush at any point (it’s been found that a person invariably lifts the brush on the same teeth time after time, and those teeth never get the right amount of cleaning). On the inside of the front teeth, hold the brush like a lollipop, parallel to the teeth, and brush with the tip, making sure the bristles slip under the gum. If you want to make sure the bristles get under the gum, bite the brush gently and you’ll force the bristles up. Continue reading
Ancient Toothbrushes
The very first toothbrush was introduced around 3500BC. These toothbrushes are in the form of “chewing sticksâ€. These sticks are taken from trees such as Garcinia kola and Govania lupiloides.The ends of a stick are chewed on until the fibres of the wood have frayed and take the form of a brush, which can then be used to clean teeth. This type of toothbrush was used by the Egyptians and Babylonians, and was probably the ancestors of the Miswak toothbrushes which are used the same way as chewing sticks. The difference is that they are made from the branches of the Salvadora persica tree, which have healing and antiseptic qualities. Miswak is still used today and even considered to be superior to modern tooth brushes by some. It is especially popular amongst Muslim communities.
Miswak
How do I Preserve Toothbrushes?
Taking proper care of toothbrushes is an important part of dental hygiene and leads to better oral health and a longer-lasting toothbrush. Today, toothbrushes are so much part of everyday life that most people do not give much thought to how they’re used. Just brush and forget about them. But consider that people put these dental implements in their mouths twice a day, every day, and it becomes clear that taking care of toothbrushes becomes an important part of oral hygiene. Continue reading
What Is the Function of a Toothbrush?
A toothbrush is a tool that is used to clean the teeth and to maintain our oral hygiene. Tooth brushing is one of the ways to control plaque level in our mouth , which is mechanically. It can also be done chemically, but mechanical cleaning is the most commonly practiced method around the world. It is also the most fundamental way of removing all the debris in our mouth, in which cannot be done by just using the chemical cleaning method alone. Continue reading
How often should you change your toothbrush
This is a Oral B Toothbrush with blue indicator bristles
This is a Oral B Toothbrush with blue indicator bristles
How often should you change your toothbrush
Some people can use their toothbrush repeatedly until they misplace it. The average American only change their brushes 1.9 times a year. The American Dental Association recommends that you change your toothbrush at least four times a year, approximately 3 months and every time you are sick. If the bristles of your toothbrush start flaring before three to four months, then you are using too much pressure to brush your teeth. Dentist believes toothbrushes should be thrown out after roughly 40 to 50 uses. Healthy people should change brushes every two weeks. People with gum problems, other oral diseases, or weakened immune systems should change toothbrush more often. People with a respiratory illness or other infectious disease should change their brushes at the beginning of the illness, again when they first feel better, and once again when they are well. Toothbrush replacement should also be practiced every day for patients who are recovering from major surgery because susceptibility to infections is higher at that time.
The easiest way to know when to change your brushes nowadays is to look at the indicators on the toothbrush. Usually the indicators consist of two or three rows of bristles which are blue in color, when the blue color fades; it is time to change a new toothbrush.