Use toothbrush: A majority of dentist recommend that persons who have dental plaque issues to utilize toothbrush as the primary means of removing them. It is the best known home remedy for dental plaque removal. The best toothbrushes to use for the procedure are toothbrushes made from soft bristles as well as fluoride toothpaste. While brushing your tooth ensure that you have brushed all the surfaces. This ought to be done at an angle of 45 degrees. In addition, make certain that the brushing includes both up and down strokes. This enables the dental plaques that are hidden on the inner sections of the fore tooth to be removed. Care ought to be also taken on the kind of toothbrush that you use. Dentists recommend that every three months replace your current toothbrush with a new one. This is because of the wear and tare of the bristles. Furthermore, brush at least three times a day or after every meal.

Other alternative methods of removing dental plaque include use of dental floss and mouth wash. Given that you may not be in a position to brush your tooth all the time especially if you are at work or school and that people snack a lot during the day, dental surgeons recommend the use of dental floss. These usually come in handy particularly when breaking and likely formation of plaque between the teeth. Nonetheless, it should be noted that improper use dental loss can also lead to gum infection. While using floss ensure that they are rushed against the plaque.

But toothbrushing being one of the important parts in maintaining the oral hygiene, selecting a proper toothbrush is an important part. Here is what all you need to check while selecting a toothbrush -

Table of Contents:

• Type of Bristles
• Size of Brush Head
• Type of Handle
• Manual vs Powered toothbrush
• When to replace a toothbrush

Type of bristles
Although there are hard bristle variety toothbrushes available, it is usually recommended to use a soft bristle toothbrush, because of a couple reasons. Firstly, many people don’t follow a proper toothbrushing technique, and so the hard toothbrush bristles tend to remove the surface enamel layer of the tooth, abrading the surface, and secondly the hard bristles damage the gingiva and pull it down towards to root, which leads to sensitivity of the teeth while drinking cold liquids, even water.
On the contrary, the soft bristles are easy on the teeth, and they can reach the deeper areas pretty easily. The nylon bristled brushes are commonly used, but everything still depends on how you brush your teeth.
The design of the bristles usually recommended is the zig-zag one with the curvy arrangement, which makes the longer bristle enter the areas between the teeth, and clean out the food debris from those areas.

Type of Brush Head
The size of the toothbrush head should not be very large, and not too small. It should be good enough to reach all the areas in the mouth, and cover 1-2 teeth at a time. According to the specifications given by American Dental Association, the recommended toothbrush head size is 1-inch in length, and 1/2-inch in width.

Type of Handle
The type of toothbrush handle should not be firm, as the flexible handles can compensate for the forces exerted by the hand during brushing, and excessive pressure on the tooth surface is avoided. The handle should provide a good grip to the hand.

Which is better? Manual or Powered toothbrush!
The comparison and choice between the manual and powered toothbrushes has always been controversial, and many people in the U.S. prefer using the powered toothbrushes, although there is no such evidence that it is more effective than the manual toothbrushing. Most of the dentists still would recommend the manual toothbrush with the proper toothbrushing technique, with the specifications as explained above.
The powered toothbrushes are recommended for usage in adult patients, in people with conditions like arthritis, people wearing braces, and having misaligned teeth.

When to replace a toothbrush?
Using the same toothbrush for a long time doesn’t prove to be effective as it was in the beginning, so it is recommended to replace a toothbrush every 3 months, when used twice everyday, or the replacing can be done when the person feels that the bristles are frayed. The worn out bristles not only are less effective, but also may damage the gums.
The toothbrush needs to be replaced with a new one even when there is an infection detected in the mouth or patients with cold, flu etc., as the toothbrush contacting the toothpaste tube, can lead to spread of the bacteria involved in the infection.

Above being the standard recommendations, there are a few other factors to be considered while choosing the right toothbrush -

• If the toothbrush bristles get worn within a few weeks of usage, there might be a problem with the toothbrushing technique (recommended toothbrushing technique), and you need to modify that or visit your dentist for the advice.
• A small head toothbrush should be chosen for children, while the milk teeth are still present.
• Depending on your location, you need to check for the approval of the respective dental association, before buying the toothbrush. i.e. if you are in U.S., the toothbrush has to be approved by the ADA to trust about the specifications.

If you are still unsure of which toothbrush to use, ask your dentist for an advice, because sometimes the oral hygiene instructions vary depending on the condition of the teeth and gums of the patient. Check when to brush your teeth in the morning,

My take on this -
I always suggest to brush your teeth as soon as you wake up, before breakfast. Its of no use if you are brushing your teeth after you finish your breakfast.

Here are the reasons why -

1. Your saliva production is the least when you sleep, and thats when the bacterial colonies start forming.
2. During the day time, your mouth is usually active and a rinse after breakfast is enough, as saliva too is produced for care of the teeth.
3. If you don’t brush your teeth just after waking up, and have your breakfast, the bacteria present on the teeth gets more carbohydrates to breakdown, and causes more attack on the oral tissues instead.

A very important point to be noted and remembered by everyone -
Acidic foods and drinks, such as oranges, grapefruit and fruit juices that are often eaten at breakfast time, soften the enamel on your teeth.

Brushing immediately afterward wears the enamel away, and can cause dental erosion, which may lead to pain and extreme sensitivity in the teeth, and also lead to cosmetic problems.

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It still depends on how you look on it, and how you try to maintain good oral hygiene. Some people suggest and practice brushing before and after the breakfast which again isn’t always beneficial. Its good when you have a mild non-acidic food.

One of the effective ways of toothbrushing – Bass technique of toothbrushing

Read on when to change your toothbrush! And tips on how to keep your teeth healthy.