How to choose the perfect brush and toothpaste for dental care: expert advice

Oral care is not only the key to a beautiful smile, but also to taking care of your overall health. Choosing the wrong toothbrush or paste can not only reduce the effectiveness of cleaning, but also damage your teeth and gums. 

UNN talked to dentist Yulia Chekalova and figured out how to choose the right toothbrush that will meet your needs, what to pay attention to when choosing a toothpaste, and what mistakes in dental care are most common. 

How to properly maintain oral hygiene?

Daily prevention, including proper brushing and flossing, can prevent the development of oral diseases, and these procedures are less painful, expensive and problematic than treating lesions that could have been stopped at the initial stage. Between regular visits to the dentist, each of us should follow simple recommendations, which significantly reduces the risk of developing caries, periodontitis and other diseases of the oral cavity.

Here is a list of simple but effective tips:

- brush your teeth twice a day and floss your interdental spaces daily;

- follow a balanced diet, limiting intermediate snacks between main meals;

- use oral care products containing fluoride only if you have been tested for mineral components and found a lack of fluoride.

How to choose the right toothbrush?

When choosing a toothbrush, the expert recommends paying attention to several points. For example, it is important to choose the right bristle stiffness. If you have sensitive teeth or gums, then of course, a soft-bristled brush is the best option. And the dentist advises medium and hard bristles only in rare cases. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that it is better to take bristles from synthetic materials, because they are considered more hygienic than natural ones.

Now electric brushes have become very popular and, according to Yulia Chekalova, they are better than manual ones.

"Personally, I am more in favor of an electric brush, it helps to make those movements that a person may not even know, thereby cleaning the tooth surface more efficiently," the expert noted.

What should you pay attention to when choosing a toothpaste?

All toothpastes can be divided into two types: hygienic and therapeutic. Hygienic pastes are needed in order to simply mechanically remove food residues and plaque from the teeth. They do not contain any medicinal components. But therapeutic and preventive ones are a completely different story. They are designed to prevent dental and gum problems such as tooth decay, gingivitis, or periodontal disease. These pastes contain antiseptic and anti-inflammatory substances that really help.

"When choosing a paste, pay attention to its smell, taste and composition, especially if you have allergies. Many pastes contain plant components that can cause a reaction. And, of course, it is better to take the one with a minimum of preservatives, dyes and foaming agents," says Yulia Chekalova.

What exactly should not be included in the paste?

1. SLS / SLES are those substances that make the paste foam. But they destroy the protective barrier of the oral mucosa, causing dryness and even allergies.

2.antibiotics (triclosan, triclogard) - they can have a bad effect on the oral microflora and even on the immune system. Use pastes with antibiotics can only be prescribed by a doctor.

3.calcium carbonate is a cheap abrasive that leaves scratches on enamel, disrupts its structure and even provokes caries.

Changing your toothbrush

Your toothbrush should be changed every 3 to 4 months, but there are situations when you need to do it earlier. One of the very first signs that your brush already needs to be replaced is its appearance: if the bristles stick out in different directions, the brush already cleans worse. Because of these factors, you may even injure your gums. Also, if there are cracks or other defects on the brush, it is better to throw it away. Bacteria accumulate in such places.

By the way, there are brushes in which the bristles turn pale when they should be replaced.

The fact that the brush should be replaced is also indicated by whether you feel the usual cleanliness of your teeth. If not, it means that the bristles are worn out.

You should definitely replace your brush after you have had a cold, stomatitis, or flu. This is necessary to avoid repeated illness.

To make your brush last longer, Yulia Chekalova advises you to wash it well after each use, as well as put the brush vertically so that it dries better.

How to properly clean your tongue and why is it important for general oral hygiene?

An equally important part of oral care is cleaning the tongue, which many people forget about. Here, the expert identifies two ways: you can use a regular toothbrush or a special scraper. Scrapers can be made of plastic or metal and are specially designed to remove bacteria and food residues from the surface of the tongue.

If you are brushing your tongue with a toothbrush, simply place it on the back of your tongue and move it back and forth in short movements, gradually cleaning the entire surface.

If you use a scraper, everything is even easier: put it on the back of your tongue and gently pull it to the tip. Do this several times, not forgetting to wash the scraper after each pass. However, the main thing here is not to overdo it and do not put too much pressure on the tongue, because this way it can be injured. 

Brushing your tongue helps get rid of a variety of bacteria and reduces the amount of light sulfur compounds that cause bad breath.

In addition, food residues accumulate in the tongue, which can easily get on the teeth and gums and provoke inflammation. If you clean your tongue at least twice a day, you can significantly reduce the number of harmful bacteria.

Proper tongue care helps to avoid the pathology of"black tongue".

"It sounds scary, of course, but it's a temporary state. It occurs when dead cells accumulate on the tongue, causing receptors on its surface to lengthen and begin to collect food and bacteria. Regular cleaning of the tongue helps to avoid this," the expert explained.

In addition, cleaning the tongue removes the film from dead cells and bacteria, freeing the taste buds. In this way, the sense of taste of food can be significantly improved.

5 rules of the daily routine of a person with healthy teeth

If you want to have healthy teeth, there are some simple rules that you should follow every day. It doesn't take much time, but it's very important for your smile:

1. brush your teeth twice a day.

Brushing your teeth in the morning before breakfast and in the evening before going to bed is the foundation.

2. do not forget about the interdental spaces

The brush doesn't reach everywhere, especially between your teeth. Here, dental floss or an irrigator come to the rescue. This will help to avoid plaque and tooth decay in the most difficult places.

3. clean your tongue

Many people forget about this, but the language also needs care. Bacteria accumulate there, which can cause an unpleasant smell and affect the teeth. Use a scraper or even the back of the brush - it's fast and efficient.

4. follow your diet and drink water

Limit sweets and sour drinks, because they destroy enamel. Instead, drink more water to help wash away food residues and maintain normal levels of saliva, which protects your teeth.

5. go to the dentist regularly

Even if nothing bothers you, you should visit the dentist once every six months. Inspection and professional cleaning will help you identify minor problems before they become major ones.