What You Need to Know About Your Toothbrush
Your toothbrush is an essential part of preventive dentistry. To improve your oral health, you need to get an in-depth look at toothbrushes.
The first line of defense against tooth decay, which leads to dental cavities (holes in your teeth) is brushing regularly. You can also eliminate bad breath by brushing your teeth after eating, which can help maintain interpersonal relationships with friends and colleagues. A refusal to brush your teeth for a couple of days can lead to gum disease development.
But to have a healthy mouth, you need a proper toothbrush. Unfortunately, not many people never give much thought to choosing the right toothbrush. To improve your oral health, you need to understand more about your toothbrush and make the proper choices in purchasing and caring for your toothbrush.
How Often Should You Change Your Toothbrush
We all know that toothbrushes were never designed to last forever. The challenge comes in when you have to figure out whether it’s time to let go of your toothbrush.
A toothbrush with an easy-to-grip handle and straight bristles can help you navigate the hard-to-reach places in your mouth. A brush with soft bristles will be useful in removing bacteria and food that has stuck at the base of your teeth.
Since you are recommended to brush your teeth at least twice a day, while using a manual toothbrush, expect your toothbrush bristles to start falling out or become mangled. At this rate of use, your toothbrush will ideally need replacing after three to four months.
It might come as a shock to many, but when you read the manufacturer’s guidelines, you would realize that you should replace your toothbrush after every three to four months. You might need to replace your toothbrush sooner if you have been sick and stored close to other toothbrushes.
How to Clean Your Toothbrush
In case you didn’t know, your toothbrush can be a germ breeding ground. Twice a day, your toothbrush is coated in food debris, water, and mouth bacteria, and if you just had the flu or a cold, your toothbrush also harbors a virus.
For this reason, proper cleaning of your toothbrush will not only help you maintain your oral health but also improve your overall health.
Microorganisms from your mouth and the environment usually grow on your toothbrush.
It is in your best interest that you know how to clean your toothbrush immediately after using it. Here are some of the tips for cleaning your toothbrush:
- Immediately after use, rinse your toothbrush thoroughly with tap water to remove the food debris and toothpaste.
- You can also try to use dental sanitizers available in the market, which use ultraviolet rays to aid in deep cleaning, which can help in killing microorganisms.
- After rinsing the toothbrush, you can store it upright in a cup or rack for it to dry out. It should be where there is some airflow to prevent mold and bacteria from growing.
Different Types of Toothbrush
There are a plethora of options when it comes to toothbrushes. They will come in all shapes and sizes, and they are different in one way or another. Now, this can become confusing, and picking one can be tricky. The types of brushes are as follows:
- Manual Toothbrushes
Manual toothbrushes present you with a host of choices. You can go for the conventional head, which is rectangular with rounded corners. There are also the ones that have a diamond head, best suited to reach your back teeth.
Our dentist recommends that you use a soft-bristled brush if you have sensitive teeth and gums. You can use a medium bristled brush if you have trouble with plaque build-up.
The last thing to consider is the bristle pattern. It would help if you had a v-shaped or wavy pattern to get enough contact between the bristles and teeth. A criss-cross design is the best for plaque removal.
- Spin Brushes
These are battery-operated brushes that work by rotating, spinning, or oscillating while you are brushing your teeth. Spin brushes can clean more and use less time as compared to manual brushes.
You will need to take a bit of time to select the right spin brush, just like the manual toothbrushes.
- Electric Toothbrushes
Just like manual toothbrushes, you can expect to see a variety of electric toothbrushes. They are nearly like spin brushes, only that they are rechargeable and combine oscillation and spinning for optimal polishing and cleaning.
Nearly every company will claim that their product is the best in the market, but one notable type is the quip toothbrush. It combines both the simplicity, lightweight features of a manual toothbrush, and the guiding characteristics of an electric toothbrush.
Steps for Brushing Teeth
It the proper brushing technique is not employed; you will not get the desired results. Here are the brushing tips:
- Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste
- Tilt your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle towards your gum line
- Use a circular motion to clean the outer surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth
- Repeat the motion with the inner surfaces
- Clean the chewing surfaces with a back and forth motion
- You can brush your tongue for fresher breath
- Then spit out the toothpaste, it is not a must to rinse it off, since the fluoride in the toothpaste helps protect the teeth
You can contact our dentist in Affordable Dental Clinics if you have any questions or if you need to book an appointment.