Does brushing teeth do any good?

Press, 29 June 1987, Page 6

Does brushing teeth do any good?

By

DESMOND SMITH,

8.D.5., D.D.H.P. We were told as children to clean our teeth twice a day and see our dentist twice a year, but nobody knew why. It was just assumed that this would keep our mouths healthy. Yet thousands of people

lost their teeth before they were 40. Admittedly, it is better now, and the majority of folks hang on to their teeth like they expect to hand on to their arms and legs. The reason for that is partly because we know more about dental disease and how to prevent it. People still seem to be a bit puzzled about tooth brushing rules though, and the dental profession has to accept that this is a direct result of our own teaching. Furthermore, the whole thing about brushing has been complicated no end by ridiculous claims on television about this sort of brush and that brand of toothpaste. . So, it seems sensible to state the bare facts and give everyone a better chance to judge for themselves. First of all, brushing on its own does very little to prevent dental decay and it certainly won’t overcome the'effect of enjoying a mouthful of sweet goodies. The reason is that the two main places on a tooth where decay is likely to start, are right on

the centre of the biting surface and at the end of the tooth where it touches its neighbour. ,

All the commercials tell you if you clean off the

plaque you prevent the holes, and that is true. However, it is a physical impossibility to get a toothbrush into the two places mentioned above.

On the other hand, if you add a toothpaste with fluoride to your toothbrush, then the fluoride particles will certainly have an effect on the decay. If you cut out the things with sugar in them between meals, then that, combined with the fluoride, will definitely control the decay. Remember though, that you need only a pea-sized portion of paste.

The advertisements usually show paste over the whole brush, but then they are trying to sell toothpaste, not dental health. In case there is some jaundiced view of the toothbrush as a waste of time, apart from being a carrier for fluoride, it is well to know that the main task of any toothbrush is to keep the gums healthy.

Here it comes into its own and does a marvellous job, when it is the right shape and used in the right way. Starting with the right shape, it should be rea-

sonably small, straight and moderately firm; not monstrous, tufted at one end and hard as nails. Your dentist is the ideal source of information about the type of brush that best suits you. As far as using It in the right way is concerned, the following points are worth remembering: O Start cleaning in the most difficult part of your mouth. That is usually on the inside of the bottom teeth, at the back, under the tongue. • Use the cleaning action that you like best I tell my patients to think of their teeth as a paling fence and their brush as a paint brush. Then they are more likely to get to ail the surfaces.

• Spend a reasonable time on doing it. That means at least one and ahalf to two minutes. The average time spent by most people is 30 to 45 seconds.

• Don’t just concentrate on one area and scrub with all your might

Last of all, it would be very foolish to write about cleaning teeth without mentioning the areas between the teeth which can only be cleaned with floss or interdental sticks.

If you don’t use these aids, and use them every day, it is a bit like trying to wash your hands with the fingers locked together.

There is no better way of avoiding treatment for the gums than by regularly cleaning with the right toothbrush in the right way, for the right time, and following it up with a good massage between the teeth with sticks or floss.

Word of Mouth