Are you harming your teeth while cleaning or brushing them? Have you ever tried to look for the methods of tooth brushing that are safe and proper? Proper tooth brushing is a prerequisite to maintaining good oral health and staying away from gum recession, enamel erosion, or abrasion which will cause many other issues, e.g. Cavities, tooth loss, etc. Therefore, it’s crucial to know proper brushing techniques.

The method of brushing must be correct right from childhood. Brushing methods are effortless to teach with practice every day, especially for parents who must take care while the child is initially new to brushing their teeth as they may develop wrong techniques and carry them forward in their adult life also which can cause damage to the teeth in the long run.

Have a look at various methods of brushing:

• Bass brushing technique: Bass brushing technique is used to treat gum diseases. Bass method of tooth brushing involves gumline cleaning. The gumline needs to be cleaned since tartar can develop there and its initial stages are in the form of plaque.
  In the bass method brushing technique, the toothbrush will help to get rid of the plaque well in advance and not let any plaque develop into tartar. The technique is famous for cleaning the gumline.
  1. Position your toothbrush at first analogous to your tooth
  2. Tilt your toothbrush now to a 45-degree angle and the bristles must maintain the contact with lines of the tooth and gum.
  3. Move the toothbrush in the back and forth position or use a circular motion and clean a maximum of three teeth at once
  4. Clean the inside area of your back teeth by moving the toothbrush in to and fro motion
  5. Clean the inside area of your upper teeth by titling your toothbrush vertically using to and fro motion
  6. Clean the inside area of your front teeth by titling your toothbrush vertically using to and fro strokes
  7. Move your toothbrush in to and fro motion to clean the upper or the biting surface

Bass brushing is very famous and mostly recommended for adults to use as it will show good results too.

• Stillman Technique: There is a very small difference between Stillman and the above technique viz bass brushing technique as Stillman method will help to get rid of other trash which has accumulated.

  To apply this technique, follow the similar pattern of the bass brushing technique, however, after brushing beneath the gumline, clean the upper surface of the teeth or biting area of the tooth with small to and fro stokes.

• Charter Technique: The charter technique is useful for those people who have done any orthodontic treatment. Arrange the toothbrush near the gumline – 45-degree angle.
  1. Ensure it is towards the chewing surface
  2. Slowly move to and fro your toothbrush
  3. Repeat the procedure with other teeth
  4. In the same way, move around the mouth brushing in the same fashion.

The above all are correct methods of brushing, start slowly and gradually incorporate in your daily routine brushing methods to correct the technique.

At the same time, it’s important to know the wrong brushing techniques or methods also which people generally use. Have a look

• Vigorous brushing- Brushing your teeth must be gentle with very little force, you cannot brush your teeth as if you are washing utensils or cleaning the floor. This is very harmful and will cause injury to the teeth. You cannot remove your frustration from them as if it’s a punching bag, please don’t do that. It is the most terrible way of brushing your teeth. Vigorous brushing will cause gum diseases.
  There is a misconception amongst people that using a bristles toothbrush will give better results. This is a prejudice that is held by many people and there is no evidence to support such thinking. The enamel will suffer from the wrong toothbrush. The dentin layer of teeth will be exposed once the enamel gets eroded which will cause cavity then. Immediately get a soft toothbrush for better care.
• Using too much toothpaste- Some advertisements are very misleading and one of them is toothpaste advertisements as to the amount of toothpaste to be used for brushing. While watching advertisements it’s important that we be practical and don’t blindly follow any advice or representation shown in it. A very small amount of toothpaste is required for daily brushing.
• Use a toothbrush till all the bristles wear off- The toothbrush has a maximum life of 3 months to 4 months. The toothbrush is not supposed to be used till all its bristles wear off where it has acquired then an irregular shape Every 90 days make it a point to replace your toothbrush without any excuses. Especially don’t wait if the bristles have curved and they are not accessible between the gaps of the teeth as this will develop plaque and cause other dental issues for a longer time.
  If you have any misconception about brushing please check the facts first and still if you are not satisfied or don’t get the proper knowledge, we recommend you reach out. Leave a query on any of our platforms and we are happy to help.

Expert opinion

• Dr. Rupali Gujar Dental Director of Sabka Dentist says “It’s extremely important to know how to brush our teeth and what are the various techniques for brushing the teeth.”
• Dr. Priyanka Shingore Dental Director of Sabka Dentist says “Everybody must adhere to the rule of replacing the toothbrush every 3 months without fail to keep the teeth in good health.”
• Dr. Zita Antao Dental Director of Sabka Dentist says “There a modified versions of bass, Stillman, etc. methods of brushing but what’s crucial is to remember the basic technique as that’s enough for brushing the teeth.”

References

• Brushing Techniques
• Healthy Brushing