November 9, 2020
Choosing the right toothbrush for your morning brushing routine is a crucial step for healthy teeth. We are bombarded with literally hundreds of opinions about this choice. Some say a soft brush is the right type of toothbrush. Others say the hard brush is the way to go.
The answer is a soft brush, according to most dentists that are experienced in this field. So, let us dig down and explore the reason behind why soft brushes are the preferred and right form of a toothbrush for your teeth.
The difference between hard and soft brushes is in the bristles. In other words, when we are talking about soft toothbrushes, we are referring to the kind of bristles that they are made up of. As the name implies, a soft toothbrush has soft bristles, whereas a hard toothbrush has rough-textured bristles.
In theory, hard toothbrushes are supposed to remove stains, plaque, tartar, and food particles in between teeth. And they do exactly that. Hard-bristled toothbrushes are tougher on the tooth enamel.
Unfortunately, they are also tougher on the gums. With hard-bristled brushes, more pressure is exerted on the teeth, hence the gums. Over time, this can cause gum issues. Brushing even with moderate pressure with hard brushes can damage sensitive gum tissues, irrespective of people’s age.
Dentists specifically mention using soft brushes to brush your teeth twice a day. You may sometimes feel that brushing with soft brushes is ineffective. You may even get frustrated by its inability to get rid of food particles between teeth.
Remember that, having a sensitive gum-line is more painful than the frustration caused by soft toothbrushes. Sometimes the damage to the gums may be irreversible, resulting in bleeding tooth, decayed tooth and cavities.
So, when it comes to teeth, stick with soft-bristled toothbrushes as much as possible. Your teeth will not only be clean, but damage to the enamel, gum tissue and root surfaces can be avoided easily.
Then, what about the hard-bristled ones that you bought recently in bulk? Save them for cleaning around the house, like scrubbing your sink, around the faucets, washing bottles inside and so on.
The applications are plenty, but just make sure that you keep them away from your teeth! And what about the hard to reach areas of the mouth? There are always, floss, mouthwash, electronic devices to clean them.
The next question that often comes to mind is whether or not to use synthetic bristles. The new market trend is toothbrushes with natural bristles that are made of plant or wood fiber. However, it doesn’t matter whether you use synthetic bristled brushes or natural bristled variety, the result is pretty much the same.
There are also electric brushes that automatically clean the teeth. All you need to do is hold them in place. These types are fancy, unlike manual traditional toothbrushes. However, electric toothbrushes are only safe when they are used properly. If you don’t get used to it, it may cause irritation and sometimes damage the gums just like hard-bristled brushes.
Contact MH Dentistry if you have questions.