I have talked so much about maintaining oral hygiene and how it’s the only sure shot way to help you keep dental infections at bay, that not talking about toothbrush seems impertinent.
Although a very simple element, but its a very powerful tool that’ll help you be regular at maintaining oral hygiene in the most simplistic manner.
So basic questions first, How do we choose a toothbrush? No rocket science, when we choose our body soaps and creams, we want them to be soft on our skin and not produce a rash while cleaning. It’s the same logic here. You see teeth are no different than any of our body organs so treat them alike. Choose a tooth brush that have soft bristles. They are available as soft, medium and hard variants, but softer bristles do not pose a threat to injuring your gums (and expose the tooth root), while maintaining cleanliness. However, it’s not true that medium and hard variants have no role at all. People, who have ever since used a medium or hard variant, may not be content after using a soft brush. Such individuals may opt for a medium variant (try to avoid using harder ones) and exercise cautious dexterity while brushing your teeth.
Apart form the bristles, do pay attention to the head size. A large head toothbrush might not be able to get into the vestibule of the mouth and hence, will not clean the posterior teeth efficiently. Similarly, a very small head size will also not produce adequate results. The general recommendation of an adult toothbrush is 1″ long and 1/2″ wide. Also, it is better to use a longer handle brush for kids so that they have easier control over the brush.
How are powered toothbrushes different? They are no different or better than manual ones. Powered tooth brushes are good for people who cannot produce the required hand movements of cleaning your teeth while tooth brushing. So physically challenged individuals or children maybe, can be better candidates for such items. Having said that, there is no prohibition on their use in general. They are designed to automatically produce the elliptical movements of the brush head, which manually you will have do by yourself.
How long should we use the same toothbrush? There is no hard rule to discard your toothbrush after a particular time. You see they don’t come with shelf lives labeled on them. But then, just be vigilant. Once you notice that the bristles of the brush have started to fray, its time you switch on the next one.
How to keep the toothbrush clean? Many toothbrushes these days come with a head cap, which avoids the possibility of cross contamination with other toothbrushes in the vicinity, if stored together. However, it is still necessary to keep the head clean so that no bacteria from the outside environment are not introduces into the mouth by way of our brushes.
mouthwash
It is recommended to dip the head of the toothbrush in boiling water for at least three minutes. boiling water may not be good for the plastic of the brush, but its effective in disinfecting the bristles. Also, you can dip the bristles in a bowl containing the mouthwash that you use. This will ensure that the brush is clean and smells fresh. Another highly recommended method is to invest in a UV sanitiser for toothbrushes. They are closed chambers that can be mounted anywhere, and will clean the toothbrush effectively.
How should we actually brush our teeth? There are many different ways to brush the teeth, every method suits a different problem that a person might be having. Some maybe good for people with orthodontic appliances and some maybe good for people with gingival recession (receding gum line). Here we shall look at some of the basic ways of tooth brushing.
So basically, a simple routine act of toothbrushing can amplify the cleanliness of your mouth, just by keeping a few pointers in mind. Happy tooth brushing!!
Dr. Pooja Chaturvedi 