Dental Health Magazine Dental Health Magazine Issue 7

38 Issue #7, September 2017 Issue #7, September2017 CORRECT TOOTH BRUSHING TECHNIQUE Article written by Dr. Rebecca Tiew www.tiewdental.com, as featured on Dentistsnearby.com Source: dentistsnearby.com How many times a day? ng What is the correct brushi ild technique? When can a ch start brushing his teeth? Find out the answers. What should I do w hen the baby tooth is er upted? Why do we need to brush? We brush mainly to get rid of the plague. Plague is a thin layer of sticky substance which adheres to the tooth surface. It contains food debris, saliva and numerous bacteria. These bacteria use the fermentable sugar in the food as their food source and produce acids that decay the room. Therefore, the only way to prevent food decay is to completely get rid of the plague of the mouth. It is best to brush our tooth after every meal. However, this is not practical when we eat out. Therefore we suggest twice a day- in the morning and before sleep is the most practical way to clean our teeth. For those working people who do not have much time to brush their teeth twice a day, it is wise to brush before sleep instead of early in the morning. Brushing before sleep is more protective because the production of saliva is reduced at night. When can a child start brushing? The front baby tooth emerges at the age of six to seven months. This is when a parent can start cleaning his/her baby’s tooth by using a cotton bud or a damped cloth to wipe it during the shower. A soft bristle toothbrush can be used when the molar is erupted at the aged of two. The parents should make tooth brushing a fun process so that the children can maintain it as a habit. Parent-aided is needed for the children below six and seven years old to ensure the proper cleaning can be achieved. The parents can start teaching them the correct brushing technique once they are able to grab the toothbrush properly. What is the correct brushing technique? Parents should choose a well-lid place when brushing their kids’ teeth. There to four years old students can lie down on parents lap so that the parents can have a better vision during the cleaning process. The brushing pattern can be up and down, or left and right. The pattern does not matter as long as the tooth and gum can be clean effectively. Choosing a toothbrush There are thousands types of toothbrush available in the market, but do we choose a suitable toothbrush for our children? First of all, do not choose a toothbrush which the head is too big for the child. The back teeth cannot be reached if the toothbrush head is too big. Secondly choose a soft bristle toothbrush because the hard bristle can injure the gum and caused bleeding. 39

Dental Health Magazine Dental Health Magazine Issue 7 | Page 38