SOFT BRISTLE TOOTH BRUSH ONLY!!

SOFT BRISTLE TOOTH BRUSH ONLY!!

Use only a soft or extra soft bristled toothbrush on your teeth with rounded and tufted fiber ends! You only have a small amount of enamel covering your teeth.  Using a medium or hard bristled brush will remove the tooth structure off your teeth, causing notching called Tooth Brush Abrasion (TBA) and sensitivity; once enamel is removed it will NOT come back. We are all told that enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, but this material makes up a very small amount that covers the crown portion of the tooth.

Enamel covers the crown portion of the tooth, thickest at top where the cusps are and thinning out at the base and gum line area, the root of the tooth is much softer and very sensitive when not covered or notched by brushing incorrectly. Think of your teeth as a fine paint finish on a very expensive automobile, you want to polish your teeth with a soft or extra soft brush. Using a medium or hard brush is like washing your car with “Steel Wool” you will remove the debris and get down to the metal causing damage.

Why do manufacturers produce these destructive medium and hard bristle brushes? Believe it or not they are the manufacturers’ best sellers. There was a “Class Action” law suit filed in March of 1999 in Chicago, brought against the top toothbrush producers and it was dismissed after the manufacturers argued the medium and hard brushes were their best sellers and the masses cannot be wrong, and if they did not produces them someone else would, thus they would be put out of business. The courts did not understand that less than half of the USA population (<50%) visits their dentist on a regular basis, and that in their infinite wisdom and belief that medium and hard brushes clean better. Because the greater percent of the US population are not regularly visiting their dentist they are not being educated by their dental staff on the proper brushing techniques and brush texture.

As for brushing technique never saw the brush back and forth in a sawing motion, this will notch the teeth even by using a soft bristle brush, hand pressure of the brush against the teeth should be light enough to lightly fray the bristle against the teeth. As everyone should be changing their soft bristle toothbrushes every 3 months or after cold or flu symptoms. The bristles after 3 months should look ever so slightly frayed, if your brush looks too worn in 3 months of less, then you are putting too great a pressure on your teeth, causing damage to the gingival tissues (gums) and teeth.

What to do with the medium and hard brushes?  Scrape your pots and pans, wheels on your car, but NEVER place into your mouth or teeth!!! Remember to Floss, Brush and Rinse in that order twice a day. And PLEASE NEVER SHARE YOUR BRUSH.