dental hygiene is important to maintaining health i have heard an electric tooth brush works better than a manual one at cleaning teeth.

the textbook i skimmed and comments i read suggested soft toothbrushes to avoid gum reccession (while applying a low amount of pressure on teeth with the bristles [pressure on par with the amount you apply to shining shoes])

they also said that at some point when you hand dexterity is more developed in your youth, you should adopt the usage of the modified bass technique.

also if you hate tying floss across your finger, you can tye the floss into a loop. i cut the floss at a lenght of 37 cm and tye it into a loop

edit additional rinsing your mouth after a meal/ beverage

having your coffee/drink all in sitting go instead of sipping throughout the day, as the acidic level in the drink can weaken teeth

there is also different types of abrasive levels for each toothpaste (if you are worried about brushing away your enamel on your teeth, which causes extreme sensitivity)

  • SootySootySoot [any]@hexbear.net
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    3 days ago

    Obviously there are many factors that affect dental health, and the modern diet is unavoidable. But regular reminder that ‘dental hygiene’ is only a counter to modern diets. Humans, pre-refined, sugar did effectively no brushing and had pretty great teeth. One of the best things you can do for your teeth is not eat and drink crap.

    • Clippy [comrade/them, he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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      3 days ago

      i have seen some tiktoks of african creators using a “miswak Stick” to brush their teeth claiming it is traditional.

      is it possible that brushing was somewhat common but that the utensils used have not survived the test of time? but yes a diet is important

      i have heard it said that refined sugar and acidic drinks ruin teeth

      explicitly my dentist told me that sipping coffee throughout the day can weaken teeth. she said to have it all in one sitting and then rinse your mouth with water (which i presume is a similar rule with other meals/snacks/beverages)

  • hellinkilla [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    3 days ago

    Not to put anyone off keeping their teeth clean or anything. But in most places, the condition of teeth and overall health are both a reflection of class position and marginalization. The lower status you are, the more problems you have.

    My understanding of electric toothbrushes is one of the reasons they are better is because they have timers which encourage people to brush for longer. So you can get a lot of the benefit by looking at a clock while you brush. I’ve never thoroughly looked into it though.

    • Sasuke [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      3 days ago

      a lot of them also have a sensor that tells you if you’re brushing too hard. i’ve honestly always kinda thought electric toothbrushes were bullshit, but i have one (misaligned) tooth where i’ve damaged the gumline pretty badly that’s what convinced me to finally get one

      • Clippy [comrade/them, he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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        3 days ago

        my understanding it is the bristles hardness that can be the worst offender to accelerate the gumline recession.

        but i thought electric toothbrushes where bullshit too, but i read some comment on hexbear who had a a brother who was a dentist saying even a shit electric tooth brush would clean better than a manual because of the rapid movement.

        Brushing pressure from sun star gum on how much pressure to apply

        People generally think that more is better, but sometimes that gets us into trouble. In terms of brushing pressure, more can actually harm your teeth and gums. Over time, excess pressure while brushing can cause gums to begin receding.

        The purpose of brushing is to remove food particles and the plaque that forms daily on your teeth. Once that plaque has hardened into tartar, it cannot be brushed away at home. Tartar removal is part of your twice-yearly dental cleaning routine at the dentist’s office.

        You’re probably left wondering: What is the optimal brushing pressure to remove plaque? The scientific answer is between 150 to 200 grams of pressure. The at-home solution requires an analogy.

        Think about clearing off a kitchen counter. When you wipe a cleaning rag across the surface, the loose bits of food brush away quite easily, while any dried-on spots require extra elbow grease. Your goal with brushing should be to remove the “loose bits” of food and plaque – no elbow grease required. Your dental professional will go after the dried-on spots https://www.sunstargum.com/ca-en/oral-health/toothbrushing-techniques-best-toothbrushes.html .:::

          • wolfinthewoods [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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            2 days ago

            I just had it done and it’s amazing how good your teeth look and feel after they finish the process (took about 4-5 visits for me). I definitely recommend looking into getting it done. It was the first time I’d ever had it done (just turned 40!) and I’ll be going back yearly now.

  • CarbonConscious [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    3 days ago

    Another good tip with electric brushes is to stop moving them around so much - just slowly move it across your teeth and let the electric motion do the actual scrubbing work.

  • glimmer_twin [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    3 days ago

    Yep, love how tied oral health is to general health, when a dentist visit costs 1/5 of a week’s wages just to walk in the door! God forbid they actually need to do something! Guess I won’t pay rent this week 🦷

        • CarbonConscious [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          3 days ago

          Some dude invented them years ago, basically a set of rings that you load a disposable piece of floss onto, making it way more comfortable but using way less plastic per use than floss picks.

          I don’t remember the exact details, but there was some kind of shenanigans where the big players in the existing dental products industry basically strong armed his suppliers out of working with him and he had to fold under a huge pile of debt or something.

          If I recall it also had something to do with the regulations around the sanitary nature of floss, and how the stuff on the shelf now has basically none at all - it’s just treated like regular string all the way through the production and distribution channels, and is never really kept particularly isolated from contaminants, but the ring refills were actually sanitary instead.

    • CarbonConscious [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      3 days ago

      Seriously. The other one I see I lot is “like you are brushing the skin of a tomato”.

      Like the pressure I would be applying there is zero, because I am definitely not brushing any damn tomatos with my toothbrush.

  • Clippy [comrade/them, he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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    3 days ago

    also some types of flouride expire - and it’s effectiveness drastically reduces. make sure the flouride type you use is not that type if you are using expired toothpaste