Brushing Technique

TOOTH BRUSHING TECHNIQUES:- One of the major cause of tooth abrasion is the wrong brushing technique that many of the people use daily.some techniques are mentioned here to make people aware of the common techniques one should use.
The best technique is the "ROLL TECHNIQUE" TECHNIQUES for Children up to 9 years:Scrub technique advised .Normally the Scrubbing technique is advised for very young children; brush for at least 2 minutes; always use tooth brush with soft bristles and fluoridated, flavoured toothpaste. A tooth brush with hard bristles can cause gum recession(i.e. they will recede and move backward) and if used with an abrasive toothpaste, can cause tooth abrasion(loss of tooth substance)

Children 10-15 years: Bass Technique is advised-Directly push the filaments toward roots of teeth at 45 degree angle, press lightly but not enough to bend filaments of brush and gently, brush forward and backward in short vibratory movement, attempting to press into gums margin ; brush for at least 3 minutes; use soft toothbrush with fluoridated toothpaste Adults: Soft or medium toothbrush & fluoridated paste.

Several techniques can be used :
 Modified bass technique: add circular movement which will cover gum as well as tooth surface. It massages the gums .
Roll technique: Position your tooth brush as in bass technique , then roll downwards over tooth surface, away from gum margins. Lift the brush, position it and repeat.it is the most commonly used method, it is an easy method but it neglects the gum margins.
Stillman technique: Position your tooth brush as in bass technique, press the filaments of your tooth brush till the gum blanches, turn your wrist through an angle of 45 degree and proceed to vibrate and roll against each tooth. Wrist movement is required; it is an unpopular technique because it is difficult. Also the gum margin is often ignored.
Fones technique (circular method): Brush is placed perpendicular to teeth. Large circular motion of brush over clenched teeth to simultaneously cover both upper and lower teeth.A soft tooth brush is used.it was Previously popular but is not advised nowadays as it has proven to cause tooth abrasion Charter’s method: Brush is angled 45 degree downwards, with half the bristles of the brush over the gum and half over the crown. Vibratory movement along with a circular motion is done.
Modified Charter’s method: Modification is to include occlusal surfaces(i.e bitting surfaces). Both these are difficult to learn, hence unpopular