In today's post we will try to explain why we brush our teeth and what we are trying to achieve. Recently, we have encountered a significant level of misunderstanding among our patients when it comes to WHY we brush our teeth. We will also endeavor to explain why it is important to brush at least twice daily.
This is the microbial fur that develops on our teeth through the day and night. It is a by product of the the normal bacteria that live in our mouth.The more sugar we eat/drink, the more ACIDIC this plaque becomes. Acid damages our teeth.Saliva flow BUFFERS the effect of this acid. We produce LESS saliva at night when we sleep. We produce MORE saliva during the day when we eat.
We use electric and manual tooth brushed to REMOVE plaque from our teeth. This is the REDUCTIVE part of toothbrushing.This should be done in the morning to build up the plaque that has developed in the night while our salivary flow is very low.This should also be done before going to sleep to remove the plaque build up during the day. This plaque can cause decay in the night when salivary flow is minimal.
We use an electric or manual tooth brush to APPLY fluoride to our teeth. This is the ADDITIVE part of toothbrushing.Fluoride hardens the outermost surface of our tooth enamel, making it more resistant to the decay caused by the acid in plaque.This is essential before sleep to populate our mouth with fluoride to compensate for the lack of saliva. This is why we recommend "spit, don't rinse" after brushing. Rinsing washes away the Fluoride.
We brush our teeth to REMOVE PLAQUE AND we brush our teeth to ADD FLUORIDE.
