Tooth Brushing, Toothbrush and Toothpaste

Tooth brushing is the centerpiece of oral hygiene and the poster boy of dental care. It is the act of cleaning one’s teeth with a toothbrush. Proper and regular tooth brushing helps prevent tooth decay, gum disease and several other dental problems. Brushing teeth incorrectly can lead to tartar and plaque formation, which can lead to poor dental health. In worse cases, this could be connected to heart diseases and a shorter life span.

The toothbrush is the most common tool used for optimal oral hygiene. It is made up of clustered bristles attached to a handle made of synthetic fibers. Modern toothbrushes are available in different sizes, textures, and degrees of solidity. Usually kid’s toothbrush bristles are softer than those of adults’ although some adults prefer soft bristles.

Brushing your teeth with a toothbrush would be practically useless without toothpaste. Toothpaste is a gel or paste applied on the bristles of a toothbrush before tooth brushing. It cleans and keeps teeth healthy and strong. It removes dental plaque and effectively masks halitosis. Tooth and gum disease are also prevented due to the ingredients used in making toothpaste. Although toothpaste is used to clean the oral cavity, it is not meant to be swallowed.

Oral hygiene has been there since ancient history. Due to numerous worldwide excavations, artifacts, quills, bones, twigs, and chewsticks have been found to be used for oral hygiene. Salt, baking soda and chalk we commonly used as early versions of toothpaste or toothpowder. Since there were no specialized St. Petersburg dentists yet back then. Trial and error methods were mainly used.

These days, brushing one’s teeth is simpler and more hygienic. As time went by and technology progressed, safer chemicals were discovered to be useful for modern toothpaste as well as safer materials for modern toothbrushes. Also, with the more educated St. Petersburg dentists of today, we now have access to knowledge of what is best for our oral hygiene.

Nothing could be easier to do for your oral health than brushing your teeth at least twice a day. With the components now readily available anywhere, brushing your teeth has never been so convenient and easy. Ask your St. Petersburg dentists, and they’ll tell you the same thing.