Brushing 101

So every six moths you hear your dentist say “make sure you brush twice a day” as you are fleeing the room, right? But why? Lets take a look at what it is we’re actually cleaning off our teeth and why we should bother.

Plaque

Plaque is the white furry stuff that grows on our teeth. Plaque is really a super organised community of tiny bacteria all feeding, breeding and growing on our teeth. The reason they are there? Because you feed them. Any fellow parents out there will know that what goes in also has to come out the other end. Plaque waste is highly acidic and it’s this that causes cavities in our teeth.

Brushing

The best way to stop plaque waste eating into our teeth is good-old-fashioned brushing. The trick is to do this without actually damaging your teeth or gums. The morning brush, while still important, makes ensures minty-fresh breath so people don’t run away when you speak to them. The brush right before you go to bed at night is the most important. When you are asleep you don’t have a lot of saliva so this is when any plaque left on the teeth partaaay. Make sure you don’t eat or drink anything but water after this brush or your hard work will be ruined. It takes about two minutes to brush all of your teeth properly (we know – it’s been the topic of many a hard pressed grad students’ thesis), and soft circles is generally the technique to go with. While most research shows oscillating electric toothbrushes give a better clean, we don’t mind how fancy your toothbrush is, as long as you use it.

Until next time remember, twice a day keeps the dentist at bay!

Amelia

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