How to take care of your teeth ?

 

 

Dental And oral health is of great importance, as an unhealthy mouth, especially gum disease, increases your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes and preterm labor. So it is important to clean our teeth using toothbrush and floss, to remove  “bacterial plaque” that causes tooth decay and gum diseases and subsequently bad appearance of your teeth.

The use of a toothbrush regularly is one of the best ways to maintain the health of teeth and gums, but toothbrushes differ in shape and effectiveness in the cleaning of the teeth. There are types that are smooth and types of bristles are rough and easy to use on children so how to choose the best toothbrush with the availability of a wide range of different types of toothbrushes on Pharmacies shelves and shops, including hand-made or powered items (electric)?

 

 

Features of the best toothbrush include :

  There are some specifications that you should search for in any toothbrush you choose, regardless of whether manual or electric, including the following specifications

Size of Toothbrush :

–          The brush should be appropriate in size for you, meaning it is neither small nor large. –          The adult brush is different from the appropriate brush for children, as the jaws in  kids are smaller

–          Choose a long toothbrush that relaxes your hand when cleaning your teeth and works well with cleaning your teeth from the inside.

 

Toothbrush head size should easily reach all tooth surfaces, and for most adults, the toothbrush head width of half an inch (1.27 centimeters) and one-inch length (2.54 centimeters) will be easier to use and more efficient. Although larger toothbrushes are available, you may find it hard to use them to clean some hard-to-reach areas, such as the sides and internal surfaces of your teeth. The toothbrush must have a handle that is long enough to hold the brush comfortably in your hand.

Toothbrush bristles

  Dental brushes are available with ultra-soft, soft, medium soft or soft nylon bristles.

  • Ultra-Soft Bristles This type of bristles is the most comfortable in children, the elderly, and people with periodontal disease because the bristles in this brush are soft and will not hurt your teeth.
  • Soft Bristles This type is best because the brush is soft and flexible and can clean the occlusal and internal surfaces of the teeth, it is also comfortable for gums and safer to maintain enamel
  • Medium Bristles This type of toothbrush bristles is used only for healthy people because this type is harmful to those suffering from gingivitis, ulcers or any other gum disease. This is because it is solid and brushes the teeth in a somewhat harder way than the soft brushes do, and so leading To bleeding gums, but its advantages that they clean the teeth well.
  • Hard Bristles are made of nylon. This type is the most common among people and markets, but it may not clean the teeth well, and sometimes the violent use of this type of brush causes bleeding of the gums and infection of the teeth. Tips for choosing a toothbrush Choose the handle that withstands a long time and does not break.
  • The brush should be changed every 6 months so as not to be damaged, and to clean the teeth effectively. The hair bristles should stick to the toothbrush head well so that not to break when you are cleaning your teeth.
  • You should brush your teeth so that retentive plaque is removed not to cause mouth diseases and gum infections at an early age. Buy an electric toothbrush that is powered, and meets the safety and health standard, to ensure maximum protection for the mouth and gums.
To further protect your teeth when choosing a toothbrush, make sure that there are circular headers on the bristles of the toothbrush you choose

Now, What about the toothpaste?

  Choosing the best toothpaste may cause a big confusion, so we wonder what toothpaste is best for tooth decay? What paste prevents lime? What is the paste containing fluoride? What about teeth whitening? What about ingredients? And other reasons for the selection confuses us, in fact, whatever your questions, make the needs of your mouth is the foundation.

Essential ingredients of toothpaste

Whatever the  form of toothpaste is whether it is paste or gel, there are essential ingredients in each type:
  1. abrasives, it contains substances such as calcium, carbonate, silicate, which removes food residues, bacteria and some pigments from the teeth.
  2. Sweeteners and industrial flavors, such as polysaccharides, which are often added to toothpaste to have a better taste, so we find many types of mint, cinnamon, lemon and others that suit different tastes.
  3. Moisturizers, moisturizers are used to maintain moisturizing of paste content, so toothpaste contains glycerol to protect against dehydration.
  4. Detergents, those foams you see when brushing your teeth are due to detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate.
 

Best Toothpaste for decay :

Fluoride is one of the essential ingredients that you should look for when choosing the best toothpaste for tooth decay. It contributes greatly to reducing tooth decay and cavities too. Fluoride has been used for this purpose for over 50 years

Best toothpaste for sensitive teeth

For all those who suffer from teeth sensitivity, whether cold or heat Fortunately, there are types of toothpaste that have been specially made for this purpose, which contain potassium nitrate and strontium chloride, as these components fill the gaps and tubules that are open to the tooth nerve.

Toothpaste for plaque removal

If the plaque is not removed with a suitable cleaner, it will turn into a layer of lime “ calculus “  that is difficult to remove, leading to bacterial accumulation on your teeth and under the gums. There are many types of toothpaste that remove this layer, such as pyrophosphate and zinc stearate.  

Quick Tips When Choosing Toothpaste

  • Fluoride is important in most cases when choosing toothpaste, especially if you are looking for the best toothpaste for cavities and decay prevention.
  • Do not use whitening toothpaste if your teeth are sensitive.
  • Consult your doctor about the possibility of any dental problems you may encounter due to a certain type of toothpaste.
  • Read labels well.
  • Avoid types with high sugar content.

Raghad Rawabdeh

Raghad rawabdeh, Jordanian Dentist, specializing in perio_implantology in Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) .

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