It’s that time of year again, Love Island fever is sweeping the nation and millions of viewers are glued to their TV at 9pm each night. However, amongst the trials and tribulations of villa life, plenty of eagle-eyed viewers have noticed some glaringly obvious brushing mistakes by this year’s contestants.
Each housemate has been presented with a fancy electric toothbrush, but the question is – do they actually know how to use them? We think not!
So here are The Dental Suite’s top tips on how to brush effectively…
First of all, there is no need to make a scrubbing motion with your hand as we have witnessed on the show. Electric toothbrush heads oscillate automatically in a way that is most beneficial to your teeth and gums – without you needing to do a thing other than slowly and accurately navigate around your mouth for 2 minutes.
Rebecca Muir, Dental Hygienist at The Dental Suite has 25+ years experience and offers some key advice for those looking to master the use of an electric toothbrush.
- Hold the brush at approximately 45 degrees down towards the gums when you are brushing along the bottom, and at an angle of 45 degrees up towards the gums when you are brushing the top set of teeth.
- Grip the brush gently and do not apply too much pressure to either your teeth or gums. Certain electric toothbrushes come with a warning light that informs the user if they are applying too much pressure. If this is the case then the brush head will not be oscillating at the right speed and ultimately not be cleaning your teeth as well as it should.
- Dedicate the full 2 minutes to standing in front of a mirror so that you can see exactly where you are brushing. Spend approximately 5-10 seconds on every couple of teeth and navigate around the mouth ensuring you have not missed anywhere.
- Keep your mouth wide open so both sets of teeth are separated. Do not be tempted to cut corners and close your jaw together and try to cover both upper and lower teeth in one motion.
- Remember to cover the surfaces behind your teeth, as well as the biting surfaces themselves as they will be gathering a lot of food debris, amongst various other bacteria and plaque build-up.
Does scrubbing like the Islanders cause any damage to your teeth?
In brief, yes. If you are one to apply too much pressure with an electric toothbrush this will slow down the head from rotating and this will not effectively clean the surfaces of your teeth and gums. As a result, plaque will build up and could potentially lead to tooth decay, as well as worn and inflamed gums leading to increased tooth sensitivity.
Should I be brushing my tongue with my brush?
Yes, there is absolutely no downside to this and it is a good habit to get into as a lot of bacteria resides on the tongue. Certain electric toothbrushes may already come with a massage setting which is a little more gentle, but if not the same brushing rules will apply. Start from the back of your tongue and work down to the front in a smooth motion, repeating this until you have covered the whole surface.
Top tip for when switching from a manual brush to an electric brush
Our top tip would be one we have touched upon throughout this article. Do NOT apply too much pressure. Be gentle and guide the brush around your mouth, focussing on spending an equal amount of time on each tooth from each side. Allow the brush to do the work for you and you will be sure to reap the rewards in the long run!
Regardless of what toothbrush you use, we advise patients to visit the Dental Hygienist at least twice a year, but this depends on numerous factors. We created a short video outlining the reasons to consider booking in, and you can watch it right here.
We always welcome questions across our social media channels, so please give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter and we always do our best to respond to any comments or private messages as soon as we can.
If you would like to book in with the hygienist then please call us on 01509 231 144 and we would be more than happy to help you make a booking at either of our Loughborough, Leicester or Nottingham practices.
