Aside from the brushing itself and the type of paste, have you ever wondered how important is your toothbrush? Or if it suits you?

First of all, we are talking about modern synthetic material toothbrushes, not the classic ones, with the wooden handles  and natural hairs. We've given up those due to antiseptic reasons (organic fibres cause bacterial colonization).  Generally there are toothbrushes, interproximal brushes and denture brushes.

Manual toothbrushes that every one of us uses can be distinguished by their head and handle. The toothbrush's head can be described by the length of its active part, its width and the type of bristles.  The head is usually 2 to 2,5 cm long, except for the kids toothbrushes that are much smaller and narrower, adapted to the children's small mouth.

 The head houses the synthetic bristles that also differ from each other by length, orientation, toughness, colour, indication and tip shape.

On a single toothbrush it is possible to observe equal length bristles or different length ones. The bristles can be parallel or in different directions. These different axes are meant to reach the hard accessible areas.

You can also see different coloured bristles on a single toothbrush. Some manufactures design the only for the aspect, others make them interestingly useful:  these are the wear and tear bristles. These have a certain colour at the beginning of usage and wear out after 2-3 months from top to bottom. Thus the user is alerted to change his toothbrush.

On a toothbrush you can see only bristles or both bristles and silicone cones. These cones touch the papillae and stimulate the blood circulation in the gums.

Bristles have also different toughness codes: soft, medium and hard that are mentioned on the package. The medium bristles toothbrushes are indicated for healthy gum persons with no related problems. For gingivitis, periodontitis, pregnant women and  capilar fragility we indicate the soft bristle toothbrushes. Manufactures indicate the toughness from 1 to 100, 100 being the toughest one. Persons with no gum problems and tough gums can use hard bristle toothbrushes. But it is advised to have a professional dental opinion.

The bristles have certain tip shapes, either straight cut or curve cut. The straight cut bristles can traumatize the enamel or the gums on the  extra caring wrong brushing technique persons. You should watch the label on the package, mentioning the tip cut or a small icon.

For children there are special shaped toothbrushes: shorter, narrower, softer bristles, bigger handle. Manufactures designed different brushes for certain stages: 0 to 2 years, 2 to 4 years, 4 to 6 year old.

Electric toothbrushes look entirely different : smaller and rounded head. Interproximal toothbrushes look like a small cone with spiral aligned bristles. The toothbrushes can be finger held or hand held.

The weirdest toothbrush is the wisdom tooth one: only one bunch of bristles and an angled neck that can reach hard areas: behind the wisdom tooth in the back of our mouth without causing gagging.

 The handle of the toothbrushes comes also in different shapes: either flat or round,  curved with or without rubber stoppers that prevent our hand from slipping. There are flexible handles but are inconvenient, because the pressure from our hand is divided and does not reach the head correctly, causing us hand aches by excessive compensating  pressure.

The comfiest handles are the bigger ones, with rubber on both sides, that fit our palm nicely, and with a small curve for the thumb. The comfier the toothbrush in our palm, the  more correct the brushing will be.

If you are wondering about the electric toothbrushes you should know these are useful, but have some disadvantage. People using the electric toothbrushes tend to be lazier because they are distracted but the automatic movements.  They forget to roll the toothbrush from the gums to the tooth relying on the electric movements, ultrasonic, vibrating or pulsating.

If you have any questions about the technique or the utensils, your dentist should provide you the right answers. He will tell you about the right brushing technique, the appropriate toothbrush and the paste for you. You will understand that a manual toothbrush  can do wonders if used  correctly . So please, when you go out to buy your next toothbrush , think harder: no matter the hurry and no matter the finance, a good toothbrush last for 2-3 months and saves you money by permanent prevention.

Author: Dr. Letitia Chiriacescu, ABC Eurodent dentist