How to brush teeth the right way… (You are probably brushing wrong too)
For a while now we've been using these toothbrushes because I learned that the way the bristles set on your toothbrush is really important — it makes a difference in how well it can clean in and around the teeth and gum line to prevent gum disease. We've also been using my favorite mouth drops because there are NO scary ingredients, plus it freshens breath nicely and feels really good as we're brushing, it's probably the essential oils in there! I realized a while back though that I've really never thought to go over HOW to brush with the kids, and I didn't even know if I was doing it right myself until…
I was brushing my teeth and happened to look over at Kent's toothbrush.
It was a mess! As you can see in the picture, he was pretty rough on that thing. I snapped a picture and sent it to my expert friend, Will, to take a look at.
“Hi Will, check out my husband's toothbrush, we just got a new one out for him only a month or two ago!! Any insights on whether or not he might be a little too aggressive with his brushing??? Any tips on how to brush teeth the right way?“
Will replied:
“Yeah, given the photo you shared, your hubby would really benefit to revisit his brushing technique. He most likely grabs the handle with a fist and scrubs like he is trying to remove the scale off a grout line. 🙂 I've pondered for years now about making a silly video detailing how we hold the toothbrush tells us a lot about the mindset we use when brushing. If we hold it like a scrub brush, we will naturally use more force and scrub using larger muscle groups. If on the other hand we hold the brush like a violin bow, we will use it as the precise, gentle tool it can be, with much finer motions (like those of the Bass brushing technique). Maybe I'll make that video one day still… In the meantime, ask him to revisit this video (below). Also, can we use that photo as a great example to show ‘when it's past time to change your brush'? After all, once the brush no longer has its shape, it's not going to be able to function as it's designed to work.”
Here's the video for how to brush teeth the right way (be sure to show your kids too):
That was a few months ago, and when Kent went to the dentist recently…
They realized it had been a couple years since his last appointment (I know that's bad but when his appointment came around last time he didn't have a job so we cancelled!), they were all shocked that his mouth was in such good shape and just said, “Keep doing whatever you're doing!” When it was my turn, the hygienist said there were hardly had any areas that needed to be scraped. That sure makes going to the dentist more pleasant. It was SO much more comfortable not laying there so long waiting for her to scrape and scrape like they used to.
When it was time to pick out a new toothbrush to go home with I said, “No, thanks, I'm kind of picky about my toothbrush now, have you heard of the bass toothbrush?” No of course she hadn't. It's definitely a “conventional” office, but I'm not complaining, I love it there. Our dentist is a really nice guy, super easy to chat with, and he barely blinks when I always say no x-rays and no fluoride treatments for the us or the kids. You can tell he really doesn't care if we get that stuff or not, and sees it as totally up to the patient. I love that.
(We also make sure there's no fluoride in our water, have you seen my recent post on water filters to keep the fluoride, chlorine and other nasties out? Click here for why we ditched reverse osmosis water and what we use instead now, or what we WILL use if our kitchen remodel is ever finished. Update, see our kitchen remodeling video, start to finish!)
How to brush teeth the right way: again here are the toothbrushes we use and the mouth drops we love.
More posts you might like:
- If you want to go deeper and learn more, maybe you want to heal yourself or someone in your family:Find out what you don't hear from mainstream dentists about healing tooth decay, fillings that could be causing you trouble, remineralizing your teeth, why to avoid Fluoride, and more —Click here to check out the HealThy Mouth Online Summit – (On Sale)
Magda says
I watched this video a while back when I first got the oil and the toothbrushes from Will. Glad I did! I’ve been using them from years now and my routine goes like this: morning it’s a Philips electric toothbrush with a natural toothpaste (Earthpaste right now) and at night it’s Will’s toothbrush and the oil plus flossing. This has worked great for me.
KitchenKop says
That sounds like a very healthy routine!
Kelly
Bridgette Banegas Leyendecker says
Good video…I never knew that!
Kilgore says
This is a comment on the proper way to brush your teeth, first and foremost you do not brush your teeth back-and-forth this will cause crevices at the gum line or best called erosion on the tooth enamel, because the teeth are supposed to be brushed in a downward stroke. Start at gum line and flip the bristles downward. Top teeth the bristles are stroked downward and the lower teeth are stroked upward. Another reason people get gum disease is because the toothbrush bristles are too soft. Medium bristles are better for stimulating the gum tissue. A persons gums should never bleed when brushing. Bleeding gums are a sign of tissues not being stimulated during brushing, and also a sign of calculus on the teeth, meaning teeth need cleaned by a professional, because too much calculus on the teeth will cause separation of gum tissue from the tooth, leading to gum disease.