Brushing is an important self-care method to remove plaque and keep the mouth clean. It can remove and interfere with the formation of plaque, remove food residues and exogenous coloring on the teeth, promote blood circulation of periodontal tissues and gingival keratinization by massaging the gums, improve the resistance of gums to harmful stimuli, enhance the defense ability of periodontal tissues, and maintain gum health.
Toothbrush is an essential tool for brushing teeth, and a good toothbrush should be able to clean all parts of the mouth sufficiently to remove plaque without damaging the teeth and gum tissue. Generally we recommend people to use health care toothbrushes.
Health care toothbrushes have the following characteristics.
1, the brush head is small so that it can turn freely in the mouth (especially in the back of the mouth); the bristles are arranged reasonably and there is a proper distance between the bristles, which is not only good for removing plaque effectively, but also makes the toothbrush itself easy to clean and keep clean.
2, soft bristles, bristles length is appropriate, bristle tip grinding round blunt, to avoid toothbrush damage to teeth and gums.
3, toothbrush handle length, width, and has a non-slip design, so that the toothbrush easy to hold, feel comfortable.
Toothpaste is the preparation used to assist in cleaning teeth when brushing, can enhance the effect of toothbrushing to remove food debris, soft tartar and plaque, help eliminate or reduce oral odor. If other effective ingredients such as fluoride, antibacterial drugs or chemical agents for tartar control and desensitization are added to the toothpaste, it can prevent caries, reduce plaque and tartar formation and desensitization.
Whether the brushing method is appropriate and the effect of brushing is closely related, the following we introduce several common brushing methods.
1.Bass brushing method
Bass brushing method, that is, the horizontal chattering method, is the only one can remove plaque in the gingival sulcus of an important self oral health care measures. When brushing the lip (cheek), tongue, the bristles are at an angle of 45 degrees to the tooth surface, the tip of the bristles point to the gum direction, so that the bristles into the gingival sulcus and inter-adjacent area. Some of the bristles are pressed on the gingival margin for a short horizontal tremor in the anterior-posterior direction. When brushing the fenestra, the bristles are pressed against the fenestra so that the bristle end penetrates into the fissure area for a short anterior-posterior fluttering. This brushing method has the advantage of strong brushing force, and can effectively remove plaque from the cervical part of the teeth and the gingival sulcus, while also avoiding wedge-shaped defects and gingival atrophy of the gingival margin.
2.Turning brushing method
Turning brushing method is to brush the bristles parallel to the gums, the end of the bristles pointing to the gingival side, close to the gums, and the long axis of the teeth at an angle of 45 degrees, and then turn the toothbrush to the crown side. When brushing the cementum, place the bristles on the cementum and brush back and forth in a horizontal direction. Repeat each area at least five times to thoroughly clean the surfaces. With this rotational brushing technique, attention should be paid to the height of the starting point of rotation of the toothbrush. If the starting point of rotation is on the crown and not on the gums, it is likely to miss the gingival 1/3 of the tooth, and if the toothbrush is positioned too high, it is easy to damage the mucosa.
3.Garden arc method
Put the toothbrush into the buccal space in the closed state, contact the maxillary teeth and gums, and make a quick circle movement from top to bottom. When brushing the lingual side, the toothbrush makes a horizontal movement. This method is easiest for young children to understand and master.
To ensure the effectiveness of brushing, the following issues should be noted during the brushing process.
1, the time of brushing each person needs a different time to brush teeth, depending on the following factors: whether the individual is easy to gather plaque and debris; individual control and the ability to remove food, bacteria, debris through saliva. In general, it is advocated that brushing should take about 3 minutes with 5-10 flutters per area. The length of brushing time should be based on the maximum control of plaque.
2.Brushing frequencyThe frequency of brushing is related to the formation of plaque. After plaque is removed, it can be formed on the tooth surface again and again. Generally, plaque can be reestablished 1-6 hours after cleaning and polishing the tooth surface, so you should brush your teeth at least twice a day. It is more important to brush your teeth at night before going to bed, because the various functional activities of the mouth stop or slow down during sleep, and saliva secretion is reduced, which provides good conditions for bacteria and reproduction.
3. The order of brushing should be done routinely to clean all the surfaces of each tooth. In order to avoid missing, it is necessary to follow a certain sequence of systematic brushing. The brushing should start from the far middle surface of the last molar in the maxilla, and follow the arch of teeth to clean the conjunctival and incisive surfaces, then brush the buccal (lip) and palatal (tongue) surfaces until the last tooth on the other side is finished. Brush the lower jaw teeth in the same way.
4, the difficult part of brushing teeth in all brushing methods, brushing the lingual side of the teeth are difficult; people generally tend to spend more time and energy cleaning the lip side of the front teeth, and ignore the back teeth brushing; right-handed brush holders are easy to miss the right cusp, while left-handed brush holders are easy to miss the left cusp when exchanging the brushing area. According to the physiological characteristics of children, for children under 10 years old or disabled people, it is recommended that someone else help to brush their teeth.
5, the effect of brushing teeth with plaque stain to test the effect of brushing teeth, purposeful removal of plaque.