5 Brushing Tips

5 Brushing Tips

4th October 2022

Having a good daily cleaning regimen is essential to prevention.

Visiting the dentist is not always a top priority for everyone. But having a good daily protocol to keep your pearly whites should be. With several new dental care products on the market and more emerging, it can become both overwhelming and confusing for patients to check whether they are cleaning correctly.

Therefore as your local dentist in the Pinner, Hatch End, Northwood, Harrow and Ruislip area, we have created 5 simple key messages to keep our patients on the right track with your dental hygiene.

1 – Brush before breakfast!

This is a long debated point and divides most opinions amongst our patients. Several studies have looked at this point and have concluded the same outcome – brush before having your breakfast.

The science behind this is that when you eat or drink anything, the pH acidity levels in the mouth increase. As a result, the teeth are more susceptible to wear from the acidic environment. Subsequently cleaning your teeth with a toothbrush accelerates the rate of wear on your teeth which are already exposed to acid.

That is why it is recommended that you brush before breakfast or at least 30 minutes after eating any meal as the saliva in the mouth will have had the opportunity to stabilise the acids, thus making the teeth less prone to wear.

2 – Spit DON’T Rinse

After you have brushed, it is very tempting to have a cheeky rinse with some mouthwash or even with water to get rid of that strong minty taste. However, all that hard work of brushing so diligently for 2 minutes is in vain if you do this.

Why?

Essentially, the mouthwash concentration of fluoride is 10-12 times weaker than that of toothpaste. So when you rinse, the fluoride, which is the essential ingredient in toothpaste to combat dental decay, is being diluted and washed out.

So when should I mouthwash?

At Vertüe Dental, we tend not to recommend mouthwash to our patients. The reasons include:

• Patients can become overly reliant on mouthwash instead of physical brushing and start to substitute this.
• It’s an added expense to the dental inventory, we would much rather you spend the money on Interdental Cleaning Aids such as floss brushes.

If you really want to use mouthwash in your dental hygiene regime, then it is recommended to rinse before brushing or at an alternate time to when you usually brush your teeth, for example, at lunch time to ‘top-up’ the fluoride in the mouth.

3 – Invest in an electric toothbrush with a pressure sensor

The electric vs manual toothbrush debate continues to pervade the dental industry. The essential take home message is that an electric toothbrush provides a more powerful clean by reaching in and around more complex areas of your mouth, particularly where there are crooked teeth or hard to reach areas.

The pressure sensor is especially helpful as it will guide you to not press too hard. As a result, your gums will love you as they are less likely to recede if electric toothbrushes are used correctly!

Buying a decent electric toothbrush can be pricey initially but in the long term, it does wonders to your dental health and hygiene. Think of it as a cost effective addition to your daily oral hygiene. My tip – grab a bargain during the sales!

Dr Arjun Varma

4 – Change your brush head every 3 months OR when the bristles become splayed

This is equally as important.

Having splayed bristles will result in ineffective brushing no matter how diligent you are, regardless of whether you have a manual or electric toothbrush. It’s almost like cutting an apple with a blunt knife.

Your toothbrush begins to harvest bacteria starting from your first clean and over time, it will only increase.

New brush head technology on some toothbrushes have been incorporated where the bristles change colour to indicate they are worn and should be changed. Other ‘smart’ brushes will also send a notification to the app on your phone to tell you to change the brush heads regularly.

Embrace technology, don’t hide from it!

Dr Arjun Varma

5 – Don’t forget to floss!

Ultimately, whether you choose to brush with a manual or an electric toothbrush, it is an individual choice and preference.

However, flossing is crucial to ensure you are cleaning in between your teeth as this is an ideal place for bacteria to grow which could result in a whole host of dental problems such as bleeding gums, decay and infection. It is estimated that brushing alone only cleans 40% of your teeth and that the remainder should be cleaned with the use of interdental cleaning aids.

There are several devices that you can use for interdental cleaning, varying from Waterpik flossers to traditional floss string. If you would like to know more please visit our previous blog.

If you are unsure of whether you are brushing correctly, book yourself a hygiene at Vertüe Dental, where we will go through step-by-step on how to brush effectively.

Vertüe Dental does not just provide cosmetic dentistry in Pinner, but we also provide excellent dental prevention care and general dentistry in Pinner, Hatch End, Northwood, Harrow, Ruislip, Eastcote and other areas across Middlesex and Hertfordshire.

I hope you have found this blog useful and please feel to share it with others who may also find it beneficial to read!

If you would like to book a consultation directly with Dr Varma to see how he can assist you in maintaining or improving your dental health, please visit Vertüe Dental Pinner, providing exceptional dental care to patients in North West London.