Caring For Your Teeth

Brushing with an electric toothbrush :

Of the electric toothbrushes, we prefer the Oral B 3D timer models.

The advantages are:

There are a variety of heads. We recommend:
- The standard round head (works well for majority of people)
- The sensitive head (if you want something softer)
- The interspace head (can sometimes be used as an alternative to flossing)
It will have a 2-minute timer that pulses after 30 seconds so it allows even allocation of time to each quadrant of your mouth
We find that patients get better results more easily than with a manual toothbrush

HOW TO:

Hold it with your fingers (finesse) not in your fist (power)!
It is not a brush but a buffer! – plaque is soft. Hold it in one place, buff for a few seconds then move along and repeat
Head angulation is important
Image 1: Try to avoid going 90 degrees to the tooth
Image 2 & 3: Angle at 45 degrees – the bristles will adapt into the spaces between the teeth

Do not try to clean the top and sides at the same time – you will tend to miss down by the gum-line which is the most important area

Click to download PDF:

HOMECARE TECHNIQUES

Brushing with a manual toothbrush :

You will hear lots of advice on the ‘best’ way to brush your teeth. Whilst some work well for one person, other techniques are more suited to others. We tend to avoid the old fashioned scrub technique, and also find the “circles & flicks” technique doesn’t work overly well.

We often teach the “push – jiggle – flick” technique. You need to use a short head, soft or “sensitive” toothbrush.

HOW TO:

Park the brush leaning at 45 degrees to the tooth – do not try and clean the top and sides at the same time
Do a small jiggle – the bristles will adapt and work their way into the space between the teeth
Flick up the tooth. Do this 2-3 times in the same spot then move along around the arch
On the inside at the front, top and bottom you may need to stand the brush up on its end using the ‘toe’ of the brush to clean

Click to download PDF:

HOMECARE TECHNIQUES

How to floss :

Dentists tend to get a hard time for always recommending flossing, but it does work! Flossing is the only form of oral hygiene that actually gets below the gum-line and right in between the teeth.

A lot of people use floss to remove food from between their teeth but don’t get the plaque off. When you floss imagine trying to wipe a film off the tooth.

Use enough floss (30-40cm) to hold it comfortably in your hands. Wind the floss around your middle fingers and then support it with your index fingers and/or thumb – see how it sits on the ball of your fingers.

HOW TO:

Put one finger over your tongue, the other inside your lip. i.e. on either side of the tooth you are cleaning
Because you have separated the holding (middle fingers) and directing (thumb / index fingers) functions, once you are through the contact between the teeth, you can slide your index fingers closer together towards each side of the tooth
This gives you better control – wrap it around the tooth (like a “c”) as shown, then slide up and down wiping the surface
Repeat on each tooth. Remember to clean the back of the last tooth in each corner of your mouth
If you find it difficult, ask us to demonstrate it again for you when you are next in