Stuart Ave Dentists

Everything you need to know to have a strong and healthy mouth. The brush and the dental pasta.

THE BRUSH

Hard? Soft? Small, large, manual, electric? The range of possibilities is wide but the correct option does not exist. In the end, one has to choose the brush that best suits their mouth and their lifestyle.

If you do practically all your meals away from home, it will not do you any good to have a mega-modern electric brush with lights and a timer if you barely use it, you’d better buy a travel brush that you can always have on hand and be able to brush after each meal.

In general, the brush should have a small head, which allows you to access the last molars without problem, and of medium or even soft hardness, the latter is especially indicated in people with delicate gums and with exposed roots. You have heard many times that it is important to change the brush every three months , this is for two fundamental reasons, the first is that the mouth is a site full of bacteria and the brush will eventually become a very important breeding ground. The second is that the brush bristles deform and may lose effectiveness in brushing.

The electric brush does the work alone very effectively, and is also  useful for children who do not have good hygiene and for lazy adults … also some bring a water tank and a device that puts water under pressure, indicated for cleaning of the interdental spaces (between the teeth).

In a matter of brushes there is a world to discover, it is best to go testing or consult your pharmacist or pharmacist, they tend to be very focused on these issues and you will be happy to get up to date. You also have brushes in supermarkets and drugstores, among these there are white labels and those that are of more recognized brands. I insist, the best thing is that you try and you can see which one is going well for you, the white label ones lose firmness before and usually have less anatomical shapes and larger heads. I advise you to try and compare and so you can have your favorite brand and you will not have to break your head every time you want to change.

Many patients ask if it is better to use a pharmacy toothpaste. My answer is always the same, it depends. If your mouth is healthy and you do not have any specific problem, you can use any moderately good toothpaste. In fact, there are prestigious brands such as Colgate or Oral B that are not sold in pharmacies. In general, all of them have the same fluoride concentration and are equally effective.

My advice is always the following, in healthy mouths there is not much difference, we always have to look for the one that goes better, either because of the taste, because we like it to make more or less foam, because it dries our mouth a lot … I tell you the same as with the brush, the question is to try and see which one suits you best. In dental clinics we usually have samples that leave us some trademarks and so you can try without having to buy the entire tube.

In cases where there are specific problems such as bleeding, sensitivity, high predisposition to caries or other problems, I do recommend using specific pharmacy pastes; these formulas are very effective when used properly.

There is another alternative to conventional toothpastes that is interesting to consider, are the dentifrices that are sold in herbalists and homeopathic toothpastes (these are also sold in pharmacies) are aimed at people who either do not want to consume fluoride or want use products with less chemistry in their formulation. There are many brands of organic cosmetics that bet on toothpastes with natural products, I advise you to browse your herbalist or online, and you will see the variety that exists.

And now it’s your turn, do you have a hard time choosing your toothpaste.