If you want to keep your smile for a long time, you need to look after your oral hygiene consistently and regularly. Removing plaque, the cause of bad breath, tooth decay, gingivitis and periodontitis, is the secret to a healthy mouth and fresh breath.
When the plaque that builds up on tooth surfaces is left undisturbed, it organises into a more complex and firmly attached structure, the biofilm, which is harder to remove. Biofilm attacks the tooth enamel and demineralises it, allowing bacteria to penetrate the tooth and damage it right down to the pulp (tooth decay), or it slips into the gum groove, triggering a slow process that destroys all the structures supporting the tooth (periodontitis). To keep your smile, it is therefore important to brush your teeth at least 3 times a day: in the morning as soon as you get up, after lunch (waiting at least half an hour) and in the evening before going to bed.
How to brush your teeth
Horizontal brushing, which most people use on every tooth surface, should be limited to the biting surfaces of the upper and lower teeth. On the side surfaces, inner and outer, the movement should start from the gum and pass vertically over the tooth, to remove food debris as effectively as possible. For the upper arch, the toothbrush should start from the upper gum and move downwards, while for the lower arch the toothbrush should start from the gum and move upwards.
The pressure applied while brushing should not be excessive, but moderate. It is also important to clean the upper surface of the tongue regularly, removing cell debris and food residue, which also contribute to plaque formation and to bad breath. The minimum time for a thorough clean is 2 minutes for a young, healthy person; if you suffer from gum disease, you should brush for at least 4 minutes.
Choosing a toothbrush, manual or electric, is a personal matter; what matters more is replacing it at the first signs of worn bristles.
Where possible, however, it is advisable to choose an oscillating-rotating electric toothbrush, which has proved more effective than a manual one at removing biofilm and reducing gum inflammation.
Dental floss and interdental brushes
Dental floss is the most suitable tool for cleaning the spaces between the teeth when the gums are healthy and in young patients; it should be used every day, at least once a day, to remove food residue from the interdental spaces as effectively as possible. The floss should be passed through the contact point between two teeth, curved so that it “hugs” the tooth, and then moved vertically so that it cleans the tooth surface.
For older people or those with periodontal disease, an interdental brush is preferable. The interdental brush is also very useful for cleaning the interdental spaces at the back of the mouth, where using floss becomes difficult. The brush should be inserted gently into the interdental space from both the outside and the inside, so that it cleans it thoroughly.
Both tools are essential for oral prevention and, unfortunately, are still little used: only 20% of people use floss or an interdental brush every day, while 80% use a toothbrush, which is why tooth decay and gum disease remain so common in the population.
Mouthwash
Mouthwash is a final aid in the oral hygiene routine and in no way replaces the most important stage, the mechanical action of brushing that removes debris and plaque. All mouthwashes have a partial, topical antiseptic action, but recent studies have also shown the excellent antiviral properties of mouthwashes formulated with cetylpyridinium chloride, opening new horizons in the fight against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and confirming the importance of oral hygiene as a defence against viruses and bacteria.
Credits: Woman photo created by drobotdean, Freepik
