All You Need To Know About Teeth Brushing

Why is it important to brush our teeth?

By brushing our teeth for at least twice a day, we prevent dirt and germs to build up in between and around our teeth. This reduces the risk of cavities, periodontal and even gum diseases.

Our set of adult teeth will company us through our early teenage formative years to old age. We need them to help us chew, bite, and smile with confidence! Poor dental hygiene not only hasten the expectancy of our teeth, it is often associated with higher chances of heart diseases and shorten life expectancy.

What is tooth brushing?

Our set of teeth is important. We need them to chew the food into smaller pieces before we can swallow them. A healthy set of teeth not only serves as a practical aspect, its aesthetics improves our confidence as well. Needless to say, we have to put in our utmost effort to maintain and protect them. Minimum twice a day if not more, we brush our teeth with a toothbrush. It means by analogy, scrubbing them with a tool (a toothbrush) and a cleaning agent (a toothpaste).

Choice of a toothbrush

Find yourself standing in the middle of an aisle in your grocery store staring at of rows and rows of toothbrushes, wondering which to get? You are not alone. Very often, the wide array of toothbrushes available, together with all their advertising, makes it confusing for us to make an informed decision. Generally, dentists recommend toothbrushes that are gentle; those with soft bristles are ideal. Toothbrushes with soft bristles reduces irritation to the gums and do not damage the tooth enamel. Once the layer of enamel is worn down, it does not replenish itself. As such, it is important for us to adopt the correct brushing technique.

Alternatively, you may opt for an electronic toothbrush. There are 2 types available in the market. The electronic toothbrush is effective in cleaning teeth. The bristles however require more frequent replacement than a manual toothbrush due to it's high frequency of oscillation. 

• smaller head oscillation in a circular motion - able to reach the back of the last molars. However because of it's smaller head bristles, it takes a longer time to clean through all your teeth. 
• regular head oscillation in linear motion

Proper brushing technique

It is a wrong perception that the harder you brush your teeth, the cleaner it gets. Just like cleaning the grooves and gaps in between our wall or floor tiles, it is not the strength that gets the dirt out. Rather, it is the proper technique, angle and tools used to help us clean efficiently. Likewise for when we brush our teeth. The angle our toothbrush is placed should be 45 degrees towards the gum-line. In a circular motion, move the toothbrush forward and backward to gently brush our teeth as well as along the gum-line. This method allows us to clean off most of the food trapped in between the teeth and some along the gum-line. Brush the outer surfaces, inner surfaces, as well as the biting surfaces of the teeth. Tilt your toothbrush vertically to and make up-and-down strokes to clean the inner surfaces. Remember, brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day and change your toothbrush once every 3 months!

Maintaining good oral and dental hygiene promotes healthier lifestyle and gives you the confidence to smile by showing a set of health, clean and properly maintained teeth. 

Call for an appointment once this Circuit Breaker period is over to resume your routine dental checkup and cleaning with us!

For more information and consultation, please contact Smile Design Dental Practice at +65 6463 8588.

To serve you better, we are available by Appointment Only. 

Please contact us to schedule for an appointment.