Brushing, flossing and water flossers: how to do it right

Almost everyone brushes every day, yet decay and gum inflammation remain common. The reason is usually not brushing too little but brushing in the wrong places: missing the gum line, the inside surfaces, and the spaces between teeth that a brush cannot reach. This article goes through each tool and how to use it so that two minutes morning and night really count.

Choosing a brush and toothpaste

• Brush: soft bristles, a small head that fits in the mouth to reach the back teeth. Replace it every three months or when the bristles splay. An electric brush helps many people brush more evenly and has a timer, but a manual brush used properly is enough.
• Toothpaste: fluoride is the most important criterion; fluoride helps enamel resist decay. People with sensitive teeth should choose a desensitising paste. "Whitening" pastes used with heavy scrubbing can wear enamel; ask your dentist if your teeth are sensitive. For children, the amount and fluoride strength depend on age, see Tooth decay in children.

Brushing technique

• Brush twice a day, two minutes each time. The night brush matters most, because saliva flow drops at night and bacteria are most active. For young children, the "Brush with Asa" game in Asahii Dental Clinic's Zalo Mini App times the full two minutes and awards a star when they finish, so nobody has to watch the clock.
• Tilt the brush 45 degrees towards the gum line, vibrate gently in place a few times, then sweep towards the biting surface. Repeat for each group of two or three teeth.
• Cover all three surfaces: outside, inside and biting surface. For the inside of the front teeth, hold the brush upright and brush up and down.
• Use light pressure. If the bristles splay within a few weeks, you are pressing too hard.
• Brush the tongue gently to reduce bad breath.
• After brushing, spit but do not rinse with a lot of water, so the fluoride stays on the teeth.
• Do not brush straight after acidic food or drink; wait about 30 minutes.

Floss

A toothbrush cleans about three surfaces of each tooth; the two surfaces between teeth can only be cleaned with floss or interdental brushes. Decay between teeth and gum inflammation between teeth are the most common problems in people who "brush very carefully but never floss".

• Take about 40 cm of floss, wind the ends around your middle fingers and hold a short stretch taut between thumbs and index fingers.
• Ease the floss through the contact point with a gentle sawing motion; do not snap it down into the gum.
• Curve it into a C around one tooth, slide it up and down along the tooth surface and gently just below the gum line, then do the other side of the same gap.
• Move to a clean section of floss for each gap. Do the back teeth too.
• Once a day, best at night before brushing.
• Wide gaps, receding gums, braces, bridges: use interdental brushes of the right size, or floss with a stiff threading end. Patients in braces at Asahii have a guide to cleaning around brackets right in the Mini App.

Water flossers

A water flosser sprays a jet of water that clears food debris and some plaque from between the teeth, around brackets, under bridges and around implants. It is very useful for people with braces, restorations, or who struggle with floss, but the jet does not scrape off the sticky plaque film the way floss does. So:

• Use a water flosser in addition to, not instead of, brushing and flossing.
• Start on low pressure, lean over the sink, trace the gum line with the tip and pause a few seconds at each gap.
• Use warm water; mouthwash can be added as the manufacturer directs.
• Clean the reservoir, let it dry, and replace the tip periodically.

Mouthwash

A supporting step. Fluoride mouthwash helps against decay; antibacterial mouthwash is for short-term use as prescribed when the gums are inflamed. Alcohol-containing ones can dry the mouth with long use. Do not use mouthwash straight after brushing, which would rinse off the toothpaste's fluoride; use it at a different time of day.

Common mistakes

• Scrubbing side to side and hard: worn tooth necks, receding gums, sensitivity.
• Brushing too quickly and missing the inside surfaces and the back teeth.
• Not cleaning between the teeth.
• Rinsing with a lot of water after brushing, losing the fluoride.
• Poking the gums with toothpicks: recession and open gaps.
• An old brush with splayed bristles.
• Storing a damp brush in a closed container, or several brushes touching each other.
• Believing that chewing gum or mouthwash can replace brushing.

When to see a dentist

• Gums that bleed for more than two weeks despite brushing and flossing properly.
• Sensitivity or pain when brushing.
• Persistent bad breath despite good hygiene.
• No dental check-up in the past year.

The right routine also depends on your mouth (crowded teeth, restorations, braces, implants); an Asahii dentist shows you on your own teeth during a check-up and scaling, because for the clinic "personalised" starts with small things like this. See our preventive dentistry page or book an appointment by hotline 0928 888 121, Zalo or the Mini App.