Toothbrushing technique

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Under the brushing technique , the procedure will be understood how the toothbrush to the dentifrice is guided in the mouth. With the right technique, damage to the tooth substance or the gums can be avoided with an efficient cleaning effect and thus a high level of dental prophylaxis can be achieved.

General cleaning instructions

  • Use toothpaste containing fluoride - for adults with an increased risk of tooth decay, the particularly high fluoride concentration of a pharmacy-only toothpaste can be useful
  • After brushing your teeth, rinse with just a little water so that not all of the fluoride is washed away, alternatively use fluoride-containing mouthwash
  • Brush twice a day - the most important thing is the effect of fluoride on the teeth that have been freed from plaque
  • Do not press the toothbrush too hard against your teeth
  • use a soft or medium-hard toothbrush

Cleaning system

To ensure that no areas are left out when cleaning your teeth at home, it is recommended that you follow a cleaning system. The sequence according to the KAI system is known, as it is usually taught to children and young people:

  • K = Start with the chewing surfaces.
  • A = Then the outside surfaces are cleaned.
  • I = Finally the inner surfaces follow.

Toothbrushing technique according to Fones (rotation method)

With the Fones technique, the front teeth are first placed on top of one another and the brush is guided in a circular motion from the upper jaw gums to the lower jaw gums - piece by piece from the side tooth area to the front tooth area and on to the opposite side tooth area. Inside, the teeth are brushed with the mouth open: here in small circles from the gum to the tooth - also from the side tooth to the front tooth area and on to the opposite side tooth area. Both jaws are treated separately. Finally, the chewing surfaces are cleaned with small rotating movements.

Because it is particularly easy to learn, it makes sense even in preschool and adolescence. (Beginning of fine motor skills: "We all paint a ball ...") The rotation cleaning method is the best known method in Germany and is often recommended in patient brochures. A German study compared the cleaning performance of students after extensive multimedia training of either the Fones technique, the bass technique or general assistance for brushing teeth. The users of the Fones method had the lowest degree of plaque build-up on both the neck and between the teeth and the lowest tendency to bleed gums over the entire 28 weeks. The users of the bass technique benefited overall from the training, but not significantly more than the control group, who only received general advice.

Toothbrushing technique according to Bass ( shaking technique )

Toothbrushing technique: modified bass technique

With the shaking technique according to Charles Bass, the bristle field is directed at an angle of about 45 degrees to the gums (gingiva). A part of the bristles rests on the gums and the tooth surface. From this basic position, the bristles penetrate the spaces between the teeth by means of small back and forth movements and loosen the deposits. The backs are cleaned by holding the toothbrush vertically and making small shaking movements. The chewing surfaces are cleaned with vertically lying bristles. (Duration: approx. 10 times per tooth section) With this toothbrushing technique, the gum line is stimulated and massaged at the same time. It is also suitable for existing periodontal disease.

The Bass toothbrushing technique is often recommended by dentists and textbooks, but in a comparative, standardized, blinded study it did not prove to be significantly more effective than general toothbrushing advice and was inferior to the Fones technique (see there) .

In the result, however, only inflammation and cleaning parameters are used, but not z. B. Traumatogenic Components. Examining individual factors is more academic than practical.

Bass published his hygiene concept in 1954. It was derived from tissue studies that localized the most likely sites of the disease and, in addition to the cleaning technique described, also included interdental cleaning using dental floss. His premise of cleaning particularly intensively where there is the greatest danger still applies today. Since, in contrast to 1954, new utensils are now available for the domestic tooth cleaning process, there are now modifications to the recommended procedure ( modified bass techniques ) without leaving the correct basic idea.

Toothbrushing technique according to Stillman

The bristle field is pressed onto the gums at an angle of about 45 degrees to the tooth axis. With this in mind, the bristle field is unrolled towards the tooth. The gums are massaged well, but the cleaning of the gum furrow is not as optimal as with the Bass toothbrushing technique. (Duration: approx. 5 times per tooth section). The technique is suitable for receding gums.

Massage technique according to charters

This method is not a cleaning technique and can be used in addition to the usual cleaning of teeth in severe periodontitis after periodontal surgery.

The bristle field is directed at an angle of about 45 degrees to the tooth axis. With this in mind, the bristle field is moved from the chewing surface to the gums with light pressure. An intensive massage of the gums is carried out with small circular and shaking movements (duration: approx. 8 minutes). In fact, the Charters methodology has historical value and is rarely used today.

Jackson technique

This is mainly done with the top bristles of the brush. After applying the bass technique , you begin to clean the gaps in an oblique vertical position . It is also possible to use a horizontal position instead of the vertical position for the inner surfaces.

rating

According to a ten-country study by University College London from August 2014, there are no differences in the various recommended toothbrushing techniques. It is criticized that dentists , dental organizations and professional associations in different countries recommend different techniques, which only lead to confusion and a loss of confidence of the patients in the educational efforts of the dental profession. There is also a lack of evidence-based studies on the effectiveness of the various toothbrushing techniques.

One should gently clean the teeth with a simple horizontal brushing motion, holding the toothbrush against the teeth at a forty-five degree angle. The brush should be held like a pencil and not with a fist, to avoid pressing the toothbrush too hard. It is crucial that cleaning is done specifically where the plaque settles and this is on the chewing surfaces and at the transition between tooth and gums , both on the outside and the inside of the teeth.

Choosing the right toothbrush is extremely important in order to avoid damage to the gums and hard tooth tissues.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ RM Davies, GM Davies, RP Ellwood, EJ Kay: Prevention. Part 4: Toothbrushing: What advice should be given to patients? . In: British Dental Journal . 195, No. 3, 2003, ISSN 0007-0610 , pp. 135-141. doi : 10.1038 / sj.bdj.4810396 .  
  2. ↑ a b Daniela Harnacke, Simona Mitter, Marc Lehner, Jörn Munzert, Renate Deinzer: Improving oral hygiene skills by Computer-Based Training: A Randomized Controlled Comparison of the Modified Bass and the Fones Techniques . In: PLoS ONE . 7, No. 5, 2012, ISSN 1932-6203 , p. E37072. doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0037072 .  
  3. ↑ Tooth myths - Always brush from red to white .
  4. ↑ Charles C. Bass, An effective method of personal oral hygiene, Journal Louisiana State Medical Society Vol 106, pp. 57-73 and pp. 101-112.
  5. ↑ a b What's the best way to brush teeth? University College London, 7th August 2014.
  6. ↑ J. Wainwright, A. Sheiham: An analysis of methods of toothbrushing recommended by dental associations, toothpaste and toothbrush companies and in dental texts. In: British dental journal. Volume 217, Number 3, August 2014, p. E5, ISSN  1476-5373 . doi: 10.1038 / sj.bdj.2014.651 , PMID 25104719 .