Many actions performed by a person in everyday life are brought to them almost to automatism. One of them is oral hygiene. Carrying out this important procedure, hardly anyone thinks about fairly simple questions, namely, what is it for, is it important, and are we doing it correctly?
Main Tasks
There are several reasons why everyone should brush their teeth.
This is necessary, first of all, to visit the dentist only for the purpose of preventive examination. And he althy teeth are essential for each of us to:
- Chew food. Proper placement and good dental he alth is not only necessary to beautify a person's appearance. Similar criteria are needed for other purposes as well. If we consider the digestive tract system, then the mouth in it is the first mechanism necessary for processing food. During its chewing, the products are crushed, and theysoaked in saliva. Thanks to this process, the further digestion of food in the stomach and intestines is much faster and easier. If the food is not sufficiently crushed and impregnated with saliva, then this will have a negative effect on its digestibility. And only those people who have strong and he althy teeth in their mouths can carefully process the food they eat.
- Properly form sounds. What allows a person to have clear diction? Forming sounds during a conversation, each of us uses more than just lips and tongue. Teeth are also involved. And if their number is incomplete, then a person will not be able to speak clearly. Incorrect growth of teeth also has a negative effect on diction. And even the loss of only one front will lead to the fact that a person will begin to lisp. If this happens in childhood, then peers may stop talking to such a child. As a result, a small person will become withdrawn, moving away from society.
In addition, each of us needs to brush our teeth in order for them to be he althy. After all, many dental diseases, including caries, are much easier to prevent than to treat them later. The incorrect growth of the dentition in children is also quite dangerous, because such a phenomenon threatens the baby with a loss of he alth.
That is why it is so important to follow all the necessary rules for brushing your teeth. After all, ignoring them will cause serious complications, the treatment of which will take a lot of time and require a lot of money.
Frequency of treatments
How many times do you brush your teeth? Dentists recommend doing this twice a day. The best time for this procedure is in the morning and evening hours. Subject to this regime, it becomes possible to keep your oral cavity properly clean around the clock.
Until relatively recently, it was believed that the best option is to brush your teeth three times a day. However, as a result of the ongoing research, it turned out that with excessive mechanical action on the enamel, it becomes thinner. This has been confirmed by the accumulated clinical experience. That is why dentists have come to the conclusion that the desired number of hygiene procedures is twice a day.
Morning brushing
How to brush your teeth properly - before meals or after breakfast? On this issue, experts have not been able to reach a consensus. Some of them are supporters of the procedure on an empty stomach. In doing so, they give the following arguments:
- Due to poor nighttime salivation in the oral cavity, acidity increases significantly. Because of this, the reproduction of microorganisms is activated, which, together with the morning meal, enter the stomach of a person. Over time, all this can cause the development of pathology.
- A bad taste or odor in the mouth in the morning adversely affects appetite.
- Many people suffer from enamel sensitivity while eating certain foods. Brushing your teeth after eating can only aggravateproblem. The use of a paste containing fluoride strengthens the enamel. This allows her to protect herself from the effects of aggressive food.
However, there is an opposite opinion about brushing your teeth before or after meals. Supporters of the need to conduct oral hygiene after breakfast, give the following arguments in favor of their position:
- Stuck in the interdental space, the remnants of food will begin to undergo the process of decay. In this regard, a person will have bad breath and become inflamed periodontal papilla.
- Using pastes containing antimicrobial substances in their composition, it is possible to restrain the growth of pathogenic microflora in those areas that have been damaged by too hard products.
- If food is taken after a hygiene event, then the aroma of toothpaste will be added to its taste. This will unpleasantly distort the original characteristics of the products.
- When brushing on an empty stomach, the abrasive particles of the paste can thin the enamel of your teeth. In tea and coffee lovers, it will acquire a brown tint. If you brush your teeth after breakfast, then such plaque can be removed immediately.
As you can see, the arguments presented by both sides are quite weighty. And each of them has its own rational grain. That is why a person can develop his own rules for brushing his teeth, while taking into account the merits of these approaches. When developing an individual scheme of activities that support oral he alth, it is recommended to use the following options:
- clean the surface of the tongue on whichthere is a plaque, which is an accumulation of pathogenic microorganisms;
- irrigate your mouth before breakfast using an antimicrobial rinse;
- brush your teeth before meals and rinse after.
Paste restriction
What are the rules for brushing your teeth? It is recommended to take care of the oral cavity during the daytime without the use of paste. Excess of such a remedy can negatively affect the he alth of the teeth. This is especially true when the paste contains a high level of abrasive elements. They wear down the enamel. Teeth at the same time become very sensitive even to harmless ice cream or coffee, which cause discomfort and pain.
Cleaning features
Adhering to the required number of procedures is far from the most important thing when following the rules of brushing your teeth. You also need to follow the technique. What is the algorithm for such a procedure?
Toothbrushing begins with the fact that they take a brush and put a small amount of paste on it. Often people believe that the more funds are taken, the better the teeth will be cleaned. However, it is not. The paste must be taken in a very small volume, literally the size of a pea. An agent in excess of this amount will most likely be absorbed by a person, which is very dangerous for the body.
At the next stage, you can start cleaning itself. It represents the execution of vertical movements. It is not necessary to press the brush strongly against the enamel. More importanthold it in the desired position, which should be 45 degrees in relation to the gums.
When cleaning the surface of the dentition, you will need to gradually move from one side to the other. Dentists recommend lingering on each tooth for about 10 seconds. To make it more convenient, the mouth is conditionally divided into four sections, giving each of them 30 seconds. As a result, the procedure will take about 2 minutes.
Next, move on to the molars. When cleaning them, the brush should be perpendicular to the upper or lower lip. The procedure is carried out with the help of translational movements.
The next step is going to the inside of the teeth. It should be borne in mind that it is in this zone that pathogenic bacteria accumulate most of all. To perform the procedure, open your mouth wide. This will allow you to get to any hard-to-reach place.
Refresh breath will allow the cleansing of the tongue and the inside of the cheeks. According to dentists, this is where more than 60% of pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity are located.
After brushing your teeth, rinse your mouth with warm water. And it doesn't have to be bottled. Suitable for such a procedure and water from the tap. It can be taken into the mouth from a glass or from the hand. Dental solutions are on sale. They can be used as a rinse instead of water.
Finishing the procedure, it is necessary to wash the brush. This is necessary to remove bacteria from her bristles. It is recommended to change the brush every 3-4 months.
Why cleanbaby teeth?
Some parents believe that oral care is not necessary for young children. After all, their teeth are still milk, and over time, others will grow in their place. However, such an opinion is erroneous. The enamel that covers milk teeth is very weak. Because of this, it is easily affected by caries. With this disease, a source of infection is formed in the oral cavity that can penetrate the body and cause quite serious pathologies, ranging from tonsillitis to pyelonephritis.
The baby will not be happy to meet a dentist at such an early age. After all, this is pain, and sometimes tooth extraction, which is highly undesirable.
At what age should babies take care of their oral cavity? It is rather difficult to name a specific period for accustoming to such procedures.
What do dentists say about this? When should you start brushing your baby's teeth? This must be done from the moment they appear. This process is different for every child. This happens at about 6 months. However, teething is sometimes earlier. This event can happen and only by the year of life of the little one.
Of course, at this age, the child will not yet be able to perform such procedures on their own. That is why parents will need to purchase a silicone fingertip brush. With it, they should clean the oral cavity of their child. In this case, you should use toothpaste.
When to start brushing your baby's teeth yourself? At about two years of age, children should be taught to rinse their mouth after eating. At the same time, parents need to explainthat such a procedure is necessary for the he alth of the child and that he needs to do it on his own.
At what age should you brush your teeth? The child should start doing this from about the same two years. Parents need to give him a toothbrush.
How to teach a child to brush their teeth? The most effective way is to lead by example. He will act better than any persuasion and explanation. Parents should take their child to the bathroom and carry out morning procedures with him. The baby needs to be given a brush so that he tries to repeat the movements of adults. And even though at first it will be nothing more than a game for him, but gradually it will certainly become a habit.
Paste for brushing the baby's teeth must be selected according to his age. So, for those little ones who are not yet receiving complementary foods, it should be gel-like and have a milky or neutral taste. This will prevent the baby from feeling uncomfortable. Fruit-flavored spreads (banana, strawberry, raspberry, etc.) can be purchased for children familiar with complementary foods.
If you have braces
These devices help to return the teeth to the correct position. How to take care of the oral cavity in this case? How to brush your teeth at home, when braces are installed on them, the attending dentist will be able to tell you in detail. Of course, such a procedure has its own characteristics and is not such a simple process.
For high-quality teeth cleaning you need:
- arrange the brush as you would with a normalmaintenance procedure, and with short back and forth movements, clean each tooth;
- the same movements should be walked on each surface of the tooth;
- clean the chewing surfaces well, including those of the farthest teeth;
- carry out a similar procedure near the braces, doing it carefully so as not to bend or break the device.
If you have braces on your teeth, then you need to clean your mouth 3 times a day.
Brush selection
These dentifrices should have small heads. This rule applies to toothbrushes not only for children, but also for adults.
This design will allow the device to be more mobile and better clean up food debris in hard-to-reach areas.
Dental floss
There are different kinds of toothbrushes. One of them is a special thread that dentists recommend using daily. With its help, you can get rid of plaque, as well as small pieces of food that remain between the teeth after eating.
How to use thread correctly? For this you will need:
- cut about 40 cm of its length and wrap the ends around the middle fingers, between which leave about 5 cm of thread for cleaning;
- hold the product with index and thumb fingers while wrapping the tooth around it, creating the shape of the letter "C";
- gently move the floss between the teeth, clearing all the space between them with it;
- go through this tool in the base areaeach tooth by cleaning the gum line.
During the procedure, the thread must be constantly moved, winding from one finger to another. This will allow you to use its clean area for each of the teeth. It is necessary that all movements performed be smooth and accurate. Otherwise, the floss will damage the delicate gum tissue.
This oral cleansing procedure is quite simple. Moreover, it is imperative to accustom yourself to do it.
To brush your teeth, manufacturers offer Teflon or nylon floss. The first of these two devices is more expensive, but it is much more convenient to work with them. They easily penetrate everything, even the smallest cracks.
Electric brush
Such oral care products have recently been increasingly used by consumers. With their help, a more thorough procedure is possible. The device works thanks to a tiny motor, which is built into the body. It makes the bristles vibrate, and they, in turn, perfectly remove even the tiniest food debris.
How long does it take to brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush? It takes 2 minutes to complete the entire oral cavity procedure. At the same time, freshness and purity are guaranteed to be obtained without much effort on the part of the person. The device is pre-programmed for the desired movements, and also does not require any pressure.
How to brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush? After preparing the device for operation, its nozzle is moistened with water.and apply a small amount of paste. You need to start the procedure from the outside of the teeth. The cleaning head of the brush should move slowly in the oral cavity. How much time to brush your teeth? For each of them you need to take 1-2 seconds. There is no need to make any movements. After all, the device is already programmed for the required rotation method.
How to brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush when it comes to their inner surface? The methodology is the same here. The device must be slowly moved along the dentition. It should be borne in mind that the brush should always be at an angle of 45 degrees to the gum. But when cleaning the front teeth, it will need to be positioned vertically.
Irrigator
You can also carry out dental hygiene using another special device. They are the irrigator. The principle of operation of such a device is quite simple. It cleans the oral cavity from food debris and microorganisms accumulated in it with the help of water pressure.
How to use the irrigator - a device for cleaning teeth? To do this, just select the mode and pressure power on it. After turning on the device, the water jet will perfectly clean the interdental space, reduce the risk of caries, and also have a massage effect on the gums, improving metabolism and blood circulation in the tissues. The duration of the procedure is 3-10 minutes. This time is enough for the device to perform its main tasks.
