A Tooth Brusher’s
Story
By Michael K. Tanaka, DDS
There once was a farmer who tossed
some kernels of corn on the ground and planned to water them when he
felt like it. There was another farmer who planted some kernels of corn
in a well-cultivated and fertilized plot of soil. He planned to water
and weed and care for those seeds regularly until the day he would
harvest his crop. Which of the two farmers should expect the greater
result? The second one, of course.
The issues of difference were how the seeds were planted and how often
they were cared for. This is true of many things. How, and how often
made a difference between two cooks who were preparing identical stews.
Everything was the same except the first cook stirred his stew only once
while it was cooking. The second cook stirred his stew many times while
it was cooking. Which one had the better tasting stew? How and how often
will make a difference between healthy teeth and mouths, and unhealthy
ones, too.
How should you brush? We suggest that you:
First: Brush with a soft-bristled toothbrush, which is positioned
at a 45-degree angle against the gum line of the tooth.
Second: Using a gentle circular motion, brush all the surfaces of
the teeth for about 90 seconds for the bottom teeth, and 90 seconds for
the top teeth.
Third: Using a gentle brushing motion, brush the top of your
tongue.
This accomplishes four things. First, you remove
the sticky film and debris that collects on the tooth surfaces.
Second, you polish the tooth surfaces to become more slippery. Germs
and food have less of a chance to cling to a slick surface. Third,
the tough pink gum tissues become more conditioned and can better
protect your mouth from crunch foods like chips and nuts. And fourth,
brushing the top of your tongue reduces the amount of bacteria in your
mouth.
How often should you brush your teeth?
Mathematics helps answer that one. How do germs multiply? Linearly, like
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven? Or geometrically or
exponentially, like one, two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two,
sixty-four? The answer is geometrically. They double all the time. That
means more germs, more teeth-eroding acids, more bacterial by-products,
and more odors in your mouth!
Being a great farmer, cook or tooth brusher depends on two things:
how you do the job, and how often you do it.