Replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months, or sooner if the bristles look worn out. This is because a worn-out toothbrush may not work as well, not because it might carry more germs. How should toothbrushes be handled in group settings such as in schools?
Recommended measures for hygienic tooth brushing in schools: Ensure that each child has his or her own toothbrush, clearly labeled. Do not allow children to share or borrow toothbrushes. To prevent cross-contamination of the toothpaste tube, ensure that a pea-sized amount of toothpaste is dispensed onto a piece of wax paper before dispensing any onto the toothbrush.
After the children finish brushing, ensure that they rinse their toothbrushes thoroughly with tap water, allow them to air-dry, and store them in an upright position so they cannot contact those of other children. Provide children with paper cups to use for rinsing after they finish brushing.
Do not allow them to share cups, and ensure that they dispose of the cups properly after a single use. References American Dental Association.
What's this? Toothbrushes range from 15 to 45 tufts and are arranged in 2, 3, or 4 rows. More tufts increase the size of the toothbrush head, which makes it more difficult to clean the posterior teeth. Multitufted brushes usually offer assorted bristle sizes and shapes, and are engineered for better cleaning. There is one simple objective of tooth brushing: to remove the plaque and biofilm that cause tooth decay and periodontal disease.
When biofilm is left behind in the oral cavity, it becomes slimy and changes the consistency of bacteria and plaque colonies.
It is important to have patients go to sleep with a clean mouth because the bacterial plaque or so-called biofilm tends to multiply in a dry environment. At night, our biological systems slow down. Not only does our heart and breathing slow down, but the oral cavity has reduced saliva flow.
For those who sleep with an open mouth or who are mouth breathers in general—beware! It is not only the bristle type that is important but also the mechanical action provided by the toothbrush and the individual holding it. Plaque is a sticky substance, and the texture or type of plaque varies from one person to the next. Power brushes have timers on them, which can indicate when a specific amount of time has elapsed.
One person can remove all the plaque from his or her mouth in less than 2 minutes, while someone else may need to spend more than 2 minutes to remove plaque adequately.
What we need is a timer that is specific for each individual. When the hygienist is able to spend 5 minutes of the hygiene appointment teaching or reviewing the importance of good oral hygiene, future dental appointments can become easier.
When patients understand how to clean their mouths effectively and feel motivated to continue good home care, they will reap the benefits not only financially, but will receive better dental reports at future appointments. Most dental professionals have learned the Bass technique as an effective way to remove plaque.
Knowing the most recent information about biofilm means that our patients also need to remove plaque from other areas of the oral cavity. The Modified Bass technique cleans and massages the gingival areas of the mouth Figure 2. Oral B has a toothbrush known as The Indicator. It has a blue dye that fades after numerous uses. When the blue is no longer present, people then know it is time to buy a new toothbrush. Usually toothbrushes wear out after 6 to 8 weeks of regular use. Patients should also be informed to change them if they have been sick, even with just a minor sore throat.
Patients should not wait until the bristles no longer stand up straight to change to a new toothbrush. A multitufted toothbrush with soft, end-rounded bristles is best. Tooth-brushing needs to be specific for each individual, depending upon his or her needs, in order to be effective.
No one can be forced to maintain good oral health, but if open-ended questions are asked, patients may have a more positive attitude toward compliance. This indicates that the brush has met or exceeded specific quality standards and is safe and effective to use.
Brushing technique, brushing frequency, diet, and many other factors also influence plaque accumulation. For patients wanting to simplify their life, it is not necessary to buy the latest in technology. Manual toothbrushes are low in cost and provide an effective way to keep teeth and gums healthy. Toothbrush beats out PC, car, cell phone as the invention most Americans say they cannot live without. Accessed: January Kepps SG. History of toothpicks.
J Am Dent Assoc. Available at: oralb. Accessed: March 8, Panati C. The Modern Inventions of Our Time. London, England: Penguin Books; The toothbrush can be used without supervision by the average adult to provide a significant decrease in mild gum disease and plaque If a toothbrush differs significantly from previously accepted toothbrushes, the Council may request clinical studies to demonstrate that the toothbrush could be used without supervision by an average adult to achieve a significant decrease in mild gum disease and plaque over a day period.
The Seal program also requires powered toothbrushes to complete a clinical study demonstrating that they are safe for use on oral hard and soft tissues as well as restorations and that they meet the requirements of a safety laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
The effect of brushing time and dentifrice on dental plaque removal in vivo. J Dent Hyg ;83 3 A randomised clinical study to evaluate the effect of brushing duration on fluoride levels in dental biofilm fluid and saliva in children aged years.
Int Dent J ;63 Suppl Dental Hygiene: Theory and Practice. Louis: Saunders; American Dental Association. Mouth Healthy: Brushing Your Teeth.
Accessed March 28, Comparison of manual toothbrushes with different bristle designs in terms of cleaning efficacy and potential role on gingival recession. Eur J Dent ;8 3 Biofilm removal and gingival abrasion with medium and soft toothbrushes. Oral Health Prev Dent ;9 2 In vitro evaluation of the retention of three species of pathogenic microorganisms by three different types of toothbrush.
People who would otherwise be available for fighting? Off the list. By World War II, soldiers were instructed in the care and keeping of teeth; dentists were embedded in battalions and toothbrushes were handed out to troops. And when the fighters came home, they brought their tooth-brushing habits with them. Simultaneously, across the country cultural expectations around teeth were changing. Bad teeth, dentists believed, could be signs of disease, poor nutrition, and general disregard for personal hygiene.
Dental experts started framing the question of dental care as a social, moral, and even patriotic issue. Public campaigns touting the benefits of healthy teeth spread across the country.
In many cases those campaigns were targeted at poor, immigrant, or otherwise marginalized populations. As demand for toothbrushes soared, production followed, aided by the development of exciting new materials called plastics. In the early s chemists discovered that they could make a strong, glossy, moldable— and occasionally explosive —material from a mixture of nitrocellulose and camphor, a fragrant, oily substance derived from the camphor laurel tree.
Soon, bristles also succumbed to the siren song of synthetics. In a Japanese national laboratory came up with a fine, silky substance it hoped would be a substitute for the silk used to make more durable parachutes for its military. Nearly simultaneously, the U. S-based DuPont chemical company rolled out its own smooth, thin-fibered material: nylon.
The silky, sturdy yet flexible material turned out to be a perfect substitute for expensive and brittle boar bristles. In , a company called Dr. Since then, new types of plastic replaced celluloid in the handle, and bristle designs became more complicated, but the basic plastic-packed design has proved as durable as the material itself. But now designers are beginning to ask: Can we remake this essential object using little or no plastic?
The American Dental Association suggests that everyone replace their toothbrushes every three or four months. At that rate, brushers in the U.
And if everyone around the world followed those recommendations, about 23 billion toothbrushes would get trashed annually. Most are traditional toothbrushes, but some 55 million U. Many toothbrushes are unrecyclable because the composite plastics most are now made of are difficult, if not impossible, to break apart efficiently. In response, some companies have pivoted back to natural material, like wood or boar bristles.
Bamboo handles can solve part of the problem, but most of the bamboo brushes on the market still have nylon bristles, so at least that part of the brush has to be thrown away.
Other toothbrushes, like the Radius , pack more, sturdier bristles into their heads. That helps them last longer so they need to be replaced less often—only two brushes a year instead of four. Some companies have gone back to a design that was originally introduced nearly a century ago: toothbrushes with removable heads.
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