Types of Toothbrushes

It is not a secret that appropriate teeth care plays one of the most important roles in overall good health maintenance. And enough care has been given to teeth from the very beginning of the civilization’s development. And, there is no doubt that the most essential teeth care component is the toothbrush. During the thousands of years toothbrushes have been constantly changing in their size and shape, becoming more and more comfortable.
As for nowadays, there is a wide variety of toothbrushes available in the market. And practically every person can choose out of this proposed variety the very toothbrush, which would fit all his or her requirements. Generally, all toothbrushes can be divided into the following types:

Manual Toothbrush. It has been truly considered to be the oldest and the most “conservative” type of toothbrush. Manual toothbrush is the developed version of the tooth pigs, which had been used in the ancient history. Nowadays there are plenty of synthetic materials, of which the bristles of toothbrushes can be made. Therefore, the soft nylon is the most often used one. As for the head and the handle, it is designed from the plastic, which is rather hard.
It should also be noted, that manual toothbrush has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is quite cheap, usually comes with a handle, which is easy to grip, some of them even come with a special tongue scraper, and it is the best thing to travel with. Still, there is no built in timer, which can tell people when their two teeth cleaning minutes are up, and someone can found a manual toothbrush to be difficult to hold onto firmly.
Anyway, nowadays there are different types of manual toothbrushes available in the market, and every single person can choose according to the suitability and requirements.

Electric Toothbrush. The manual toothbrush did not prove to be very effective in the plague and bacteria removing from the teeth, this has pushed the mankind to invent the electric type of toothbrushes. As for the first electric toothbrush, it has been produced in Switzerland, and this took place in 1939. All electric toothbrushes work on the rechargeable batteries, which provide them with the power, necessary for rotation.
Nowadays there exist a lot of powerful electric kinds of toothbrushes, which provide thousands of strokes per minute. As for the rotating techniques, used by these electric toothbrushes, they are the following:
Side – to – side rotation;
Circular rotation;
Rotation – oscillation;
Counter – oscillation, etc.
Just as anything in this world, electric toothbrushes also have their pros and cons. To advantages of an electric toothbrush may be referred the issues, that most of them come with a big ergonomic handles, which makes it very easy and comfortable to hold; there are built – in times in some of them, with the help of which anyone can know when two minutes are up. In addition, there are electric toothbrushes, which dispense toothpaste, and, finally, the feel and buzzing, produced by an electric toothbrush is what many people like in them. As for disadvantages of this kind of a modern product, electric toothbrushes are usually quite expensive, and most of them require constant charging or battery replacement.

Sonic Care Toothbrush. These are the toothbrushes, which are made on the concept of the saliva application, with the help of which proper cleaning of the teeth would be possible. The sonic care toothbrush works by using sonic waves to activate the saliva, which has the inbuilt quality of cleaning the teeth. Practically every sonic care toothbrush promises whiter teeth in 28 days period. In addition, they have built – in two minute timer. This kind of toothbrushes has proved to be the most effective, in comparison to the manual toothbrushes and electronic ones. Therefore, it should also be noted, that this toothbrush is much more expensive, in comparison to those ones, which are described above.

Chewable Toothbrush. This type of toothbrushes is considered to be the latest trend in the whole toothbrush industry. Therefore, the chewable toothbrushes are not marketed at the large scale yet. This kind of a toothbrush proved to be an extremely effective in the plague bacteria removing from the teeth, mostly because there are such components, as aqua, gelatin and xylitol contained. And xylitol is the element, which is used in chewing gums. Inclusion of xylitol makes the toothbrush easy to chew. The brushing process has become much simpler and easier with the invention of this kind of toothbrushes. It is so – to – say “all inclusive” technique, which does not require the use of either water or the toothpaste.
Still, there are several drawbacks of the chewable toothbrushes: there is gelatin, contained in it, which makes it impossible to be applied by vegetarians. Though, it is expected that there would appear new inventions, which will make the chewable toothbrush possible to use for people, who do not consume meat.

There are many varieties available in different types of toothbrushes, therefore, the effectiveness of nearly every toothbrush mostly depends in the proper technique of it application. If the person maintains good oral hygiene and cleans the teeth properly, this will make them more healthy and the smile much more attractive.

New method of treating Residual Caries

The present invention is a method of treating residual caries utilizing a matched laser and dye combination. After initial preparation and excavation of a caries site, a dye is flooded into the site which stains areas of residual caries. A laser with a complimentary wavelength is then used to ablate stained areas. Since healthy dental tissue will not receive the dye and allow staining, diseased tissue will be the only tissue that is stained, not only providing a visual indicator, but also providing a more efficient surface to receive laser energy and allow for more efficient ablation of the compromised tissue. According to the method, the dye may contain and enhancing, oxidizing compound or an anesthetic, and surrounding tissues may be protected by the use of substances opaque to the radiant energy. Indocyanine green has shown particular effectiveness as a dye in this and related methods

Shapes of teeth surfaces

Shapes of Teeth

Name

Shape

Function

	Incisor	Chisel shape	Chopping food
	Canine	Sharp, pointy	Tearing food
	Premolar* (Does not exist in deciduous teeth)	The occlusal surface is wide and uneven. Diamond shape with pits and fissures on it.	Grinding food
	Molar	The occlusal surface is wide and uneven. Rectangular shape with pits and fissures on it.	Grinding food

Smoking Ruins Your Teeth

Besides causing serious damages to general health, smoking also has adverse effects on oral health.

	Consequences of smoking on oral health
	Smoking may cause bad breath. Smoking easily stains your teeth. The chance of developing Periodontal Disease of smokers at least five times greater than that of non-smokers. If a smoker who is already suffering from Periodontal Disease keeps on smoking, the nicotine in the cigarettes will jeopardize the healing potential of oral tissues and reduce the body resistance. This will worsen the condition of the Periodontal Disease. Smoking increases the chance of oral cancer.

	Ways to refuse smoking
	Tell your friends that you don't like to smoke Refuse cigarettes offered by others. Learn to say "no" No matter where you are, insist on choosing "non-smoking areas" Turn your office into a "smoke-free work place" Encourage your family and friends to quit smoking. Refuse second-hand smoking Maintain a healthy life-style by having a balanced diet and exercising regularly to release stress

	Ways to quit smoking
	Discover motives List out reasons for quitting as motives. For example, quitting smoking can: Save money Make you look smarter Make boy / girl friend adore even more. Make plans Change habits that will trigger your urge to smoke. Make a plan that will help you quit smoking. At the initial stage of quitting, you may try chewing sugarless gums instead of smoking. Persist to the end You need to be determined and persistent that you will not to be affected by cigarettes again.

Tooth Cleaning Strategy

In order to clean the teeth effectively, you have to thoroughly remove the dental plaque that adheres on the tooth surfaces, false teeth and orthodontic appliances. The accumulation of plaque will cause Dental Caries and Periodontal Disease.

Clean the tooth surfaces by toothbrushing

Toothbrushing can remove the dental plaque on tooth surfaces. We should brush our teeth in the morning and before bed at night everyday. Thorough removal of plaque can prevent Periodontal Disease.

Place the toothbrush at an angle towards the gingival margin

The head of the toothbrush should be placed with the tips of the bristles tilted at an angle towards the gingival (of the gum) sulcus at the gingival margin where plaque tends to accumulate.

Brush the teeth systematically

Firstly, brush the outer surfaces of the upper and lower teeth. The head of the toothbrush should be placed with the tips of the bristles tilted at an angle towards the gingival margin. Gently move the toothbrush in small scrubbing motions, working on two to three teeth at one time.

Then brush the inner surfaces of teeth in the same way as brushing the outer surfaces.

When we brush the inner surfaces of front teeth, we should hold the toothbrush upright using gentle motion brushing from the gingival margin towards the crowns of the teeth.

Finally, brush the chewing surfaces of the teeth with the toothbrush moving backward and forward.

Points to note
Even if you have grasped the toothbrushing technique, it is important to use appropriate toothbrush and toothpaste.

Toothbrushing cannot remove plaque from the adjacent tooth surfaces. They have to be cleaned by dental floss or floss holder.

The order of brushing and flossing does not affect the effectiveness of tooth cleaning. As long as we use the correct technique, we can achieve satisfactory results.

Solutions to common problems encountered during toothbrushing

Areas that are hard to reach by a toothbrush are difficult to be cleaned by toothbrushing. For example, the inner surfaces of lower teeth or crooked teeth:
The solution is to clean with a small head toothbrush or a single-tuft toothbrush.

Gagging when brushing:
Some people may gag when they brush their teeth. To improve this situation, you can choose to use a toothbrush with a small head.

Gingivae bleeds and hurts when brushing:
The accumulation of dental plaque causes gingival inflammation. In that case, the gingivae (gum) will bleed when brushing. You can choose to use a soft toothbrush to clean away the plaque in such areas. Gingival inflammation will slowly subside and the gingivae will become healthy when the oral hygiene has improved.

know your teeth

In our life time, we have two sets of teeth: deciduous teeth and permanent teeth. There are 20 deciduous teeth, and 32 permanent teeth. Dentine is slightly yellowish in colour. Since enamel in permanent teeth is more transparent than that of deciduous teeth, the colour of dentine shows through more easily in permanent teeth. Therefore, permanent teeth are usually more yellowish when compared to deciduous teeth. Since dentine thickens as we get older, our teeth may become more yellowish with age.

Tooth components	Hard tissues
	Enamel The outermost layer of the crown. Mainly consists of minerals (Calcium, Phosphorus, and etc.) The hardest tissue of human body. Generally transparent or milky white in colour. Dentine The second layer of the crown of tooth Generally light yellow in colour. Its colour determines the overall colour of the tooth. There are many microscopic tubules inside the dentine which connect to the pulp. Cementum A hard tissue covering the root surface of a tooth. Connecting the periodontal membrane and dentine of the root of tooth..

	Soft tissues
	Pulp The chamber inside a tooth. Filled with blood vessels and nerve fibres.

Periodontal tissues	Gingivae Also known as "gum" A layer of soft tissue covering the surface of alveolar bone. Healthy gingivae is pink in colour Periodontal membrane A layer of fibrous tissue Connecting Cementum and alveolar bone A buffer of teeth to sustain pressure from chewing to avoid teeth damages. Alveolar bone Bony tissue surrounding a tooth for its support.