Brushing teeth- everyone does it. Some people only brush once a day, some multiple times. Whatever the case may be, everyone brushes his or her teeth on a daily basis and has been for a great number years. Even back when our great ancestors were alive people had to brush their teeth. So, with this activity being such well known and practiced, there has to be a “perfect” way, no? Some people use different motions or speeds or angles, trying to touch every portion of his or her teeth. However, is one way more beneficial over another? The other morning brushing my teeth and the guy next to me was brushing his quite a little differently. This is what began my whole thought process on whether or not one way works better.
Over the years I have changed my methods every once in a while from small circular motions, to brushing right and left, parallel with my teeth. Sometimes I will also give the speed or pressure some variation. No matter what I do though, my teeth still look and feel the same clean. I did some research on the subject, and most of what I found did not give a clear answer. They all disagreed with each other and said one would work better over another. Yet, there was little to no research to support any of their statements.
After all of this disagreeing, there seemed to be a viable solution. In an article written by Robert Preidt, he quoted Aubrey Sheiham, a professor of dental and public health at the University College London, in England. He stated, “Brush gently with a simple horizontal scrubbing motion, with the brush at a 45-degree angle to get to the dental plaque. To avoid brushing too hard, hold the brush with a pencil grip rather than a fist. This simple method is perfectly effective at keeping your gums healthy.” Surprised that most other articles agreed with this statement, I realize I need to make a change. I usually make circular motions as I brush, but now need to alter my technique to fit this description if I want those “pearly whites”. Feel free to read more about this article here, or oral healthcare in general here. Maybe after reading this some of you will also change your ways like I did.
Hello, I really appreciate this piece of blog. I think it mentioned a part that my regular way of brushing my teeth is actually incorrect. I agree to the author who claims that there is no best way to brush your teeth, only a better way. Since teeth-brushing keeps our oral hygiene which can affect our healthy greatly, it is time for us to consider whether our ways of brushing teeth are scientific or not. If not, you may try the way provided in the blog!
It is funny that this is something we do every day and I bet some people have never even considered changing their technique, let alone looking into and researching the best motions. I find it interesting that multiple different sources all gave different information on how to best brush your teeth, just as I’m sure different sources will recommend one type of toothbrush over another with different features.