Age-related features of hygienic oral care. How to monitor and care for dental and oral health: basic rules Caring for the oral cavity of a seriously ill patient

A smile can solve many problems. This is a way of non-verbal communication. But in order for it to help in communication, it is important to have healthy and beautiful teeth. Only then will your interlocutors be predisposed to communicate with you.

The condition of the oral cavity determines general health person. The body is charged with energy from the food consumed. Provides adequate nutrition coordinated work all systems. this is the first organ of a complex chain digestive tract. They perform important function– grinding of food products. If you don't take care of your oral cavity, your teeth will deteriorate. Pathogenic microorganisms collect in rotten cavities. They enter the body along with food and make the immune system work harder. As a result, he weakens and is unable to fight other diseases. If the process is stopped, then soon the row will begin to thin out. This leads to insufficient grinding of food and its inability to absorb vitamins and minerals, which the body does not receive enough. It is very important to keep your mouth healthy.

Ways to keep your teeth healthy

Since childhood, every person has developed the habit of brushing their teeth twice a day. This is one of the main rules of care. When eating food, food debris remains on the teeth and becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, which negatively affects the enamel and causes caries. Cleansing is one of the main factors in maintaining the health of a row.

The next point is very important - regular visits to the dentist. He inspects the row, performs treatment and cleaning. If necessary, the dentist gives advice on dental care.

The health and beauty of your smile depends on good nutrition. An interesting fact is that teeth begin their formation during the embryonic period of human development. Therefore, their health begins with proper nutrition of the expectant mother. For the strong, about which I know everything. Vitamins A, D, C, E, K, PP are very important in the diet. They maintain the normal condition of the gums, which is directly related to the health of the gums. You can lose a completely intact tooth due to inflammatory processes in the soft tissues of the jaw. In addition, the calcium from which our bones are formed is not fully absorbed by the body. Vitamin D is required for better absorption.

Rules of care

Dentists talk about seven basic rules that will help maintain whiteness and healthy condition oral cavity.

Choosing the right toothbrush. When purchasing, pay attention to its size. It should be such that it easily reaches all surfaces of the jaw. Requirements for toothbrushes - brush head dimensions - 2.5 cm height and 1.25 cm width. Gone are the days when there was minimal choice. The principle on which the purchase is made is ease of use. It is maneuverable and easily cleans hard-to-reach places.
Using floss (dental floss). With its help, hard-to-reach places (interdental spaces) are cleaned. Without floss, proper dental care is impossible.
Cleaning process. The duration of the procedure is at least 2 minutes. Starts with cleaning upper jaw, then the bottom row. Upon completion, the tongue is washed, on which bacteria also accumulate, causing bad smell. When is the right time to brush your teeth before or after breakfast, the answer is after. This hygiene procedure involves removing food debris. Therefore, there is no need to brush your teeth before breakfast, since after breakfast food will remain in the cavity, which is an excellent place for the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
Regular visits to the dentist. Without this doctor, it will not be possible to maintain dental health for a long time. Even if the patient does not have carious formations, the dentist will remove soft and hard deposits that cannot be cleaned with a toothbrush, but negatively affect the condition of the oral cavity.
. Choose the right one toothbrush- few. Required for good cleaning. It can be of different directions: refreshing, with medicinal herbs for gums, with a high content of fluoride and calcium, whitening, etc. Use them depending on your problems and on the recommendation of your dentist.
Complete nutrition. Also important factor in oral health. Lack of vitamins leads to inflammatory processes and a feeling of dryness. Lack of calcium leads to tooth decay.
Rinse. Dentists recommend this procedure clean water after every meal. Rinse your mouth before brushing your teeth in the morning. apple cider vinegar, diluted with water. This will help remove tea and coffee stains from the enamel. Maintains natural whiteness. For the same purpose, use cleaning with baking soda. The frequency of the procedure is once a week.

Remembering these basic rules for caring for the oral cavity and teeth, following the dentist’s recommendations, your smile will conquer and be endearing for a long time.

Children's dental care

Children's teeth differ in their structure. Their development begins when the baby is still in the womb. By six months after birth, the first baby teeth appear, which require some care, as they are more prone to caries.

Many parents do not believe that cleaning baby teeth is important. But it is necessary to do this, since the beauty of the permanent ones largely depends on them. By the age of 10–12 years, the upper and lower rows are formed by permanent teeth.

Dental care for children up to one year old

Small, newly erupted teeth require cleaning. It is necessary to care for a child's teeth up to one year old by wiping them with gauze wrapped on an adult's finger. Pharmacies or specialty stores sell special silicone children's toothbrushes for little ones that will help with the procedure.

Caring for baby teeth after one year

After one year of age, children need to be explained and taught to perform oral hygiene twice a day, and given the opportunity to do this on their own. And even though it will be awkward at first, over time the baby will learn and it will become a habit. Caring for a child’s teeth after a year includes age-appropriate toothpastes and toothpastes. The latter have a number of features. When choosing it, pay attention to the composition. Children's toothpaste does not contain fluoride. This is especially true for products intended for children under two years of age, who do not know how to rinse their mouths well, and fluoride that enters the body can cause a lot of harm. Therefore, fluoride-free children's toothpaste is the choice of loving parents.

From year to year, a toothbrush is selected based on the quality of the bristles. There are natural and synthetic. Finding the first one is almost impossible, they are practically not produced. Therefore, you have to choose from synthetic materials. Its shape is round, the bristles are soft. It will help you take good and proper care of baby teeth and gums.

Caring for the first baby teeth involves using a child-friendly brush. Its desirable factor is the rubberized handle.

Oral care products

Caring for the conditions is not difficult. It is important to know certain rules when choosing funds. You can take care of your teeth using the following means hygiene:

toothpaste;
brush;
thread (floss);
rinse aid

Choosing a toothbrush, rules of use

This item of oral hygiene is chosen purely individually. There are brushes with hard and soft bristles. The latter is suitable for people suffering from bleeding gums. Soft protection will not damage them. A medium-hard toothbrush is a universal option. The instrument head, 2 to 2.5 mm long, is a convenient size that allows it to be easily maneuvered in the oral cavity. After cleaning, the brush is washed and placed with the head up vertical position. You need to replace your toothbrush once every 3 months.

In pharmacies, oral hygiene products are presented in large quantities, which makes it difficult to choose the most suitable option. Read this article to learn how to choose the right oral care products.

Why brush your teeth

Healthy teeth and gums are not only beautiful smile and fresh breath, but also the ability to painlessly consume all foods (cold, hot, sour, hard), correct form face, reducing the load on the gastrointestinal tract. And although tooth enamel is the most durable tissue in the human body, even it is not able to withstand the destructive effects of pathogenic microorganisms. Unfortunately, teeth are not capable of regeneration (restoration), and even molars, which replace milk teeth, turn out to be sick if careful hygiene is not carried out.

All dental diseases can be divided into carious and non-carious dental lesions. The cause of the former is bacteria, the waste products of which destroy the enamel, the latter arise as a result genetic predisposition, pathologies of the formation and mineralization of rudiments, systemic diseases, injuries. In order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms a person must carry out a complex daily hygiene procedures, which do not take more than 15 minutes. Basic and additional oral hygiene products help you take care of your teeth.

Fixed assets

Basic hygiene products used to clean the oral cavity. The most necessary and irreplaceable tools that will help clean your teeth from pathogenic bacteria and stuck food particles are a toothbrush, gel or paste.

Toothpaste is divided into two types: hygienic and therapeutic and prophylactic. They differ in composition, quality of components, and price.

Hygienic toothpaste should freshen breath and remove soft dental deposits. The product contains fragrance, foaming agent and abrasive. The larger the abrasive granules, the better they remove plaque, but if they are too large, they can scratch the enamel. Hygiene pastes use chalk or silica as an abrasive.

In the therapeutic and prophylactic paste, the composition has been significantly expanded and is designed to solve a specific problem, for example:

reduce tooth sensitivity (contains calcium or strontium salts, which clog the tubules, thereby protecting the nerve from irritants. The abrasiveness index should not exceed 75 RDA);
strengthen tooth enamel(due to high content fluorine or calcium mineralization of enamel occurs);
reduce bleeding and inflammation of the gums (aluminum lactate and herbal ingredients are added to the paste);
whiten (the products contain especially large abrasive particles (RDA up to 200) or components that can break down soft plaque, for example, papain, carbamide peroxide, sodium bicarbonate).

There are therapeutic and prophylactic pastes that are approved for long-term use (as a rule, they strengthen tooth enamel), those that are used in courses of up to 14 days or once. The antibiotic contained in oral hygiene products destroys not only pathogenic microorganisms, but also beneficial ones, as a result of which the microflora in the oral cavity is disrupted. If you use the whitening paste for a long time, the abrasive can scratch the enamel. Anti-bleeding paste hides the symptom, but does not eliminate the cause of the disease, so it progresses, but without obvious signs.

The medicinal paste should be selected individually, depending on the problems that have arisen, and used according to the instructions. Special pastes are made for children with reduced content fluoride and with a minimum of additives, since children sometimes swallow it. The dentist will tell you how best to brush your teeth after examining the oral cavity and identifying potential problems.

It is advisable that in the care product oral cavity did not contain parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and propylene glycol, as they have Negative influence on the body. Fluoride-based dental care products may only take effect three minutes after contact with saliva. Therefore, even an expensive and high-quality toothpaste, washed off the teeth after a minute, will not give a positive effect.

Toothbrush Another tool without which it is impossible to brush your teeth is a brush. The first thing you need to pay attention to when choosing is the stiffness of the bristles. The stiffer the bristles, the more effectively deposits on the teeth will be removed, but the more gums will be injured. A soft brush is recommended for people who have thin enamel or periodontal disease, a hard one is suitable for absolutely healthy teeth and gums, and a medium hardness is considered universal. Modern brushes are made from artificial materials, since bacteria multiply quickly in natural environments.

It is important not only what to brush your teeth with, but how regularly to do it. Plaque forms within a couple of hours after cleaning and if it is not removed daily, it mineralizes and turns into stone, which can only be removed by a dentist.

Toothbrushes also differ in shape. The best option is the one with long bristles on the sides and short bristles in the center. This brush will better clean the interdental space. A brush in which the bristles are at the same level is suitable for people with an ideal bite.

A mono-tuft brush is recommended for those who cannot brush their teeth due to severe gum pain. With this tool, each tooth is cleaned separately, which takes about half an hour. The most suitable head size for those who do not have gum problems is 2-3 teeth.

There are also electric brushes that perform both rotational and oscillating movements, which makes brushing teeth easier for people with limited mobility.

It is important to monitor not only the timely replacement of the brush, but also the method of its use. At incorrect technique Brushing your teeth can cause a wedge-shaped defect and bleeding gums.

Additional hygiene products

Additional dental care products include:

tongue scrapers;
toothpicks;
a thread;
brush;
rinses and gels;
irrigators.

Toothpicks

The toothpick is perhaps the most widely used additional remedy hygiene. With its help you can remove food debris from the interdental space, gum pockets, carious cavity. Toothpicks can be wooden, plastic, rubber, bone, sharpened on one side or both, have a round, oval, flat shape. Sometimes improvised means, such as matches or even needles, act as toothpicks. Dentists recommend using toothpicks very carefully, as they can injure your gums.

Dental floss

Dental floss is an indispensable hygiene product that is designed to remove plaque and food particles. lateral surface teeth where no toothbrush can reach. The thread is sold in special packaging, which allows it to remain sterile even after it has been unpacked. It is assumed that every time after eating a person cleans the interdental space with floss, winding it around index fingers ends of the floss and leaving a work surface between them. A new section of floss is used for each tooth, otherwise the infection can be spread throughout the entire oral cavity.

Threads can be made of natural (silk) and synthetic material. Artificial thread is stronger. The assortment includes flosses impregnated with fluoride, menthol or antiseptic. There are also threads that swell when wet and thereby provide a tighter fit to the surface of the tooth. Waxed threads (impregnated with wax) are recommended for those who are just learning to use this remedy, they are more secure. Unwaxed ones remove bacterial film better. Floss can consist of one thread or several intertwined threads, which, when used, separate and increase productivity.

When choosing dental floss or a means for cleaning teeth, a person should focus on the width of the space between the chewing organs; the smaller it is, the correspondingly smaller the diameter of the thread.

At the initial stage of use, there may be a slight bleeding of the gums, but after a week of using the floss it should go away. Otherwise, the reason is not in the new remedy personal hygiene behind the oral cavity, and in the technique of its use. The thread should slide exclusively along the side surface of the tooth and not touch the gingival papilla.

For those who have fixed dentures or braces, it is recommended to use superfloss to clean their teeth. It differs from ordinary thread in that it has an elastic end that can be easily inserted between the teeth.

Brushes for teeth

Designed to clean the interdental space into which floss cannot penetrate. This includes under braces, under bridges, and spaces between implants. The main difficulty is choosing the correct diameter of the brush. Since the spaces between teeth vary, several of these personal hygiene products are required (from 3 to 5). Your dentist will help you find the right size. Brushes also differ in the stiffness of the bristles.

Usage: The brush is inserted between the teeth and several movements are made back and forth, then it is rinsed under running water.

Scrapers

Scrapers are needed to remove bacterial plaque from the surface of the tongue. It is the accumulated bacteria on the tongue that causes bad breath. The scraper should be used after brushing your teeth, movements are made from root to tip. For most people, at the beginning of using the scraper, there is quite a strong vomiting reflex, but over time it goes away.

Most toothbrushes with reverse side There is a rubberized relief pad that can also be used to clean your tongue. However, scraper manufacturers claim that their hygiene product provides better cleaning due to its tight fit to the mucous membrane.

Irrigators

Irrigators are devices that deliver a stream of water under high pressure. Used for cleaning teeth in hard-to-reach places. In addition to water, you can pour a decoction based on herbal ingredients, saline solution.

Rinse aids

Mouth rinses, like toothpastes, can be hygienic and therapeutic. The former give freshness to the breath, the latter are designed to fight a certain pathology. The composition includes biologically active components: sodium fluoride, tin fluoride, xidifon, extracts of medicinal plants.

Anti-caries rinses contain sodium fluoride and are strongly recommended for use after calcium-based pastes.

Rinses with antibiotics (triclosan, chlorhexidine, hexetidine) and plant extracts are designed to fight inflammation and destroy pathogenic microorganisms. Aminofluoride helps with tooth sensitivity, and papain softens soft plaque. Rinse your mouth with the product for one minute, then spit out the liquid. It is advisable not to drink for an hour.

Particularly difficult is cleaning structures located in the oral cavity. When correcting a bite with braces, it is recommended to use brushes with multi-level bristles and single-tuft brushes, as well as brushes. Some manufacturers offer kits for cleaning braces, for example, President, Piave Dental Care. They help clean locks and irrigators.

When cleaning Not removable dentures It is recommended to use a soft brush that does not injure the mucous membrane and has a massage effect. A double-sided brush has been developed for removable dentures: zigzag bristles are used to clean the outside of the denture, and rounded bristles are used on the inside. Once a week, dentures need to be soaked in a liquid to which special disinfectant tablets are added.

There are also traditional methods preparation of toothpastes and teeth whitening products. According to fans traditional medicine, can be used for cleaning charcoal, salt, milk powder, crushed calamus root or oak bark.

To whiten enamel it is recommended to use Activated carbon, soda with lemon juice. Of course, no qualified dentist will recommend using homemade pastes if you have dental problems. Not only will they not help, but they will also worsen the situation by damaging the enamel and gums. But as a supplement to the main treatment, the doctor may recommend rinsing your mouth with decoctions and infusions based on herbs that have disinfectant, anti-inflammatory, and hemostatic properties.

Personal oral hygiene products must be replaced periodically because microorganisms accumulate on them. So, it is recommended to change the brushes after three months, and the brush after a week of use. Do not forget that oral hygiene products should be selected taking into account the characteristics of the bite and dental pathologies. It is unacceptable to use whitening paste to clean baby teeth.

Healthy teeth are not only about teeth, but also about proper digestion, normal metabolism, and the health of the body as a whole.

The key to healthy teeth, prevention dental diseases, and soft tissues of the oral cavity is daily oral hygiene of the mouth and teeth.

Regular oral hygiene reduces the risk of developing various diseases by 80%.

Therefore, it is so important to know how to take care of your teeth correctly, and do not forget to put this knowledge into practice and adhere to balanced nutrition, systematically visit dental hygienists to remove plaque and.

Daily teeth brushing routine

The first rule for maintaining healthy teeth is systematic cleaning of food debris. The procedure is carried out at least twice a day. The duration of the manipulations is from 3 to 5 minutes.

You need to rinse your mouth with the elixir for 30 seconds. Then spit. If possible, the liquid should be “strained a couple of times through your teeth to remove soft fabrics located in hard-to-reach places.

To keep your mouth perfectly clean, in addition to standard devices and oral hygiene products in your daily home care Behind the teeth, special scrapers are needed to clean hard-to-reach areas, and scrapers to remove plaque from the tongue.

As an alternative to brushing your teeth, you can use regular apples. After each meal, dentists recommend eating one apple, the pulp of which perfectly cleanses the enamel of plaque, massages the gums, and saturates the body with vitamins.

The juice of plantain leaves will help get rid of it. A preventive measure against inflammatory diseases is a mouth rinse water infusion plantain.

Nutrition Basics

Oral and dental hygiene is also about proper nutrition. There are foods that are good for your teeth and gums, but there are also those that can harm them and cause serious problems.

TO useful products include:

milk and dairy products;
cereals;
Fish and seafood;
meat products;
green tea, flower;
nuts.

Rough food is good for teeth and gums plant origin, including vegetables and fruits with hard pulp in raw form, green vegetables.

Education for sustainable soft coating and solid contribute sour varieties apples, lemons, grapes, rosehip decoction. It is not advisable to include pureed, fatty, soft foods, as well as flour products, in the diet too often.

To especially dangerous products include all kinds of fast foods, confectionery, candies, chocolate, muesli, popcorn, chips, chewing candies, and bars. Drinks that are harmful to teeth include fruit juices, any energy drinks, sweet sodas, and lemonades.

Memo to parents

In order for a child’s teeth to be healthy, it is necessary from the age of two. It is the parent's responsibility to educate the child. correct use toothbrush and paste, monitoring the regularity of hygiene procedures.

It is also important to tell your child popularly why it is so important to brush his teeth every day, and what can happen if this is not done.

Toothbrushes should be purchased specifically - with soft bristles and a small working surface. Pastes and mouth rinses also need to be purchased specially designed for children.

It is also the responsibility of parents to ensure a properly balanced diet. The child’s diet should consist of foods containing large amounts of calcium, potassium, fluorine, phosphorus, protein, vegetable fiber. Use harmful products should be strictly limited.

A child should be taken to the dentist for his first preventive examination at the age of 3 years. This is extremely important, since it begins to develop precisely in childhood. Timely treatment will prevent the progression of the disease and keep teeth undamaged by caries healthy.

Professional oral hygiene in dentistry

Dentists recommend doing this once a year. The purpose of the procedure is to remove soft and hard plaque from the surface of the teeth, in the peri-gingival and interdental spaces. The procedure is performed using hardware or manual techniques. It takes no more than an hour.

Thanks to regular professional teeth cleaning by a dental hygienist, the risk of developing, and, is significantly reduced.

In addition, when pigment plaque is removed, the color of the enamel becomes several tones lighter, and as a result of the use of special polishing pastes and gels, the tooth enamel is strengthened and becomes less sensitive to the effects of destructive substances.

Therefore, regular visits to the doctor timely treatment emerging diseases, professional cleaning teeth at the dentist along with strict adherence to oral hygiene at home and proper nutrition is the most effective measure prevention of various dental diseases.

Remember, dental health depends entirely on the degree of responsibility, actions and lifestyle of a person!

We all want to have a healthy and snow-white smile, but not everyone knows what to do for this. You can buy an expensive toothpaste and toothbrush from an advertisement, but often this is not enough. To keep your teeth healthy, your breath fresh, and gum problems never overtake you, a simple but proper hygiene oral hygiene should become a daily ritual for you. In this article we will tell you what oral care should be like, what means exist for this, and the rules for brushing your teeth that everyone should know..

Oral care rules

If you haven't done them all before, it's never too late to introduce them into your life. You will be surprised how easy it is to provide your teeth and gums with proper care, which will quickly become a habit:

Rule #1: You need to brush your teeth 2 times a day, before going to bed in the evening and after going to bed in the morning.
Rule #2: don't forget about preventive examinations at the dentist once every six months. If you follow this rule, you will be able to prevent gum and tooth disease in the early stages of development.
Rule No. 3: choosing teeth cleaning products is a serious matter. You shouldn’t buy the first paste you come across, and the brush needs to be changed at least once every 3 months.
Rule #4: Oral care doesn’t end with brushing your teeth: don’t forget about your tongue, cheeks and gums.
Rule No. 5: After every meal, you must remove leftover food. Ideally, you should brush your teeth with toothpaste and a brush, but in practice this is most often impossible. Therefore, you can use an affordable alternative: mouth rinses cope with this task with a bang, removing food particles and freshening your breath. And at work or school, chewing gum will come to the rescue.
Rule #6: Use dental floss to clean spaces between teeth.
Rule No. 7: fluoride substances in the paste begin to “work” 3 minutes after contact with the tooth. You need to brush your teeth for at least this amount of time, because you want to not only clean, but also strengthen the enamel.

Teeth need to be brushed correctly, then oral care will be of high quality. By removing all plaque, you will protect your teeth from caries, and your gums from gingivitis, periodontitis and other diseases. The step-by-step scheme for cleaning the oral cavity is as follows:

Oral hygiene will not take you more than 10 minutes in the morning and evening. Do everything right and your teeth and gums will be healthy. Now let's learn more about oral hygiene products.

Choosing oral care products

Oral hygiene products are also important in quality care. We will help you do right choice, telling you what you need to pay attention to when buying.

Choosing pasta

Forget all the advertisements you saw on TV. When choosing toothpaste, you don’t have to buy the most expensive one available in the store. Whether it is a domestic manufacturer or a foreign one also does not play a major role. The compositions of the pastes are most often identical. What you need to pay attention to is the fluoride content. Products with fluoride are only suitable for the prevention of caries, but if this scourge has already befallen you, fluoride-containing toothpastes will only worsen the condition of your teeth. Pay attention to the purpose of the product. For daily use, you need a therapeutic-and-prophylactic or complex paste, but be careful with bleaching ones. When choosing a whitening paste, it is better to consult your dentist.

Choosing a brush

Toothbrushes are primarily divided into electric and conventional for manual cleaning. The former cope with the task better, but are also more expensive. It is recommended to change attachments as often as a regular brush, so the question of choice quite often comes down to finances. An electric toothbrush can easily clean the furthest teeth without you having to make any effort: just move the brush from tooth to tooth. When choosing electric brush, pay attention to the nozzle itself. It can be simply cleansing or whitening. The type of power supply is also important: brushes with batteries are cheaper, but with a battery they are more convenient.

A regular hand brush comes in 3 levels of hardness: soft, medium and hard. Soft bristles are gentle on teeth and gums, but do not clean well, while hard bristles are too aggressive. Dentists advise choosing the golden mean - medium-hard bristles.

Choosing floss threads

All dental floss is thin fibers twisted together. The choice of this oral care product is quite large. More expensive threads are made from silk fibers, while cheaper options are made from synthetic fibers. Floss threads can be lubricated, ungreased, fluoridated, flat, round, embossed, scented. Dentists recommend choosing a flat lubricated thread - it is more convenient to use and reduces the risk of gum injury. Waxed threads are suitable for beginners; they are stronger and therefore ideal for first attempts. If you want to provide your teeth with additional protection against caries, use fluoridated floss.

Choosing a rinse aid

The rinse aid has wide range Actions: removes plaque, kills bacteria, freshens breath, heals wounds, prevents caries. Designed for different purposes different types rinses: therapeutic and preventive. The main purpose of preventative rinses is to keep your breath fresh. But medicinal ones can be intended to combat inflammation, bleeding gums, and tooth sensitivity. Initially, you need to decide on the task that the rinse aid will need to perform. Prophylactic products are suitable for daily use.

And in conclusion, I would like to note the importance of regularly visiting the dentist for professional oral cleaning. For example, if you have a problem such as bleeding gums, rinsing with herbal decoctions and using special pastes will not solve the problem completely, but if you contact a specialist, professional teeth cleaning Air Flow It will fix the situation in half an hour.

Take care of your oral cavity and be healthy!

Means and methods hygiene care behind the oral cavity- these are any substances, means or devices that are intended for contact with the surface of the teeth and oral mucosa for the purpose of deodorizing, cleaning and preventing dental diseases.

Hygienic and therapeutic and prophylactic products:

toothpaste,
tooth gel,
tooth elixir,
aerosol,
chewing gum,
hygiene tablets,
solutions.

Mechanical means:

toothbrushes,
dental floss,
toothpicks,
pipe cleaners,
stimulants,
massagers,
irrigator.

Mechanical means and methods of use

Toothbrushes. A toothbrush is the main tool for removing microbial plaque from the surface of teeth and gums.

Currently, there are many models of toothbrushes. Each toothbrush consists of handles and working part- heads with bristle bushes planted in it. The available types of toothbrushes differ in the shape and size of the heads, the location, thickness, length and quality of the bristles, and the size and shape of the handles.

Toothbrush size is selected individually. The working part of the brush should cover 2.5 teeth in length and width approximately equal to the height of the crown (for adults - 22–28 mm length, 10–13 mm width, for children - 20 mm length, 10 mm width).

The effectiveness of using toothbrushes and their correct individual selection depends on the so-called hardness of the brush field.

Exists 5 toothbrush hardness levels:

O very soft brushes are intended for children at the stage of learning oral hygiene;
soft- for patients with acute inflammatory processes oral mucosa and periodontal tissues;
medium hardness- for patients with pathology of hard dental tissues of carious and non-carious origin and with chronic periodontal diseases;
hard brushes intended for persons with healthy teeth and periodontitis;
very tough- for patients using metal prostheses.

Another classification option:

soft - Soft- for persons with diseases of hard dental tissues and mucous membranes;
medium hard - Medium- for all;
hard - Hard- for people who use dentures and/or have an increased tendency to form plaque and tartar.

It should be remembered that very hard and harsh brushes if used incorrectly can injure the gums and abrade hard tissues tooth. The brush handle is usually made of propylene and is sized and anatomical shape palms for comfortable holding.
A toothbrush gets dirty easily, so it needs to be kept absolutely clean. After brushing your teeth, the brush should be rinsed under running water and thoroughly cleaned of food debris, plaque and toothpaste. It should be stored so that it can dry well, for example, in a glass with the head facing up. A regularly used synthetic bristle toothbrush should be replaced every 1–2 months.

Exists several ways to brush your teeth. Most common standard method . When using it, the upper and lower dentition is divided into segments of 2-3 teeth, and each section is treated separately. They begin cleaning from the upper right molars, move to the premolars, then to the central areas, then clean the premolars and molars on the upper left of plaque. Go to lower jaw on the left and process each fragment in the same way. First, the buccal and labial surfaces are cleaned, then the lingual surfaces on the upper and lower jaws.

Circular movements along the neck of the tooth, plaque is removed from the gingival sulcus and from the cervical area. Using “sweeping” movements from the gums to the chewing surface (cutting edge), plaque is removed from the gums and from the entire surface of the enamel. The brush is held so that the bristles are directed at an acute angle to the enamel. Pressure is applied to the brush as it moves along the tooth from the gum towards the chewing surface (incisal edge). Having finished cleaning one segment, move on to the next section, where they repeat the described procedure. This ensures that plaque is removed from almost every area of the tooth.

Chewing surfaces clean with a brush with bristles perpendicular to the occlusal plane. This position allows the bristles to penetrate into the grooves, fissures, and interdental spaces. Rotational movements of the brush head alternate with reciprocating movements when moving the brush along the occlusal surface of molars and premolars.

Lingual surfaces Molars and premolars are cleaned in the same way as cheek teeth. When cleaning the lingual surfaces of the frontal group of teeth, the brush handle is positioned parallel to the occlusal plane, the movements are horizontal, reciprocating. Then the position is changed so that the bristles are at an acute angle to the surface of the teeth and grip the edges of the gums, cleaning the gums and teeth as the brush moves up and down. The total cleaning time is 2.5–3 minutes.

Dental flosses- applicable for everyone, used to clean the proximal surfaces of teeth. They are made of artificial fiber and can be round, flat, of various sections and shapes. In some cases, they are enriched with fluorine or other additives. A thread 35–40 cm long is wound around the first phalanges of the third fingers of both hands, fixed with the first and second fingers in the interdental space, and dental plaque is removed with vertical movements (6–7 movements for each tooth). The floss should be constantly pressed against the tooth so as not to injure the interdental papilla.

Toothpicks Designed to remove food debris and plaque from the spaces between teeth. Single-use wooden or plastic toothpicks should be used. Children should not floss or floss themselves.

Stimulants- wooden or rubber devices with a long conical working part are inserted between the papilla and the surface of the tooth, as a result of which the keratinization of the epithelium of the papilla increases, it becomes rougher and less sensitive.

Massagers They have the shape of a toothbrush, but instead of bristles, rubber formations in the shape of mushrooms are installed to massage the gums. As a result of use, blood circulation improves, metabolic processes, keratinization of the gum epithelium increases.

Irrigators- small siphons for irrigation of the oral mucosa.

It is necessary to spend money on quality oral care 15–20 minutes during the day: brush your teeth morning and evening, and then daily intake food, if self-cleaning of teeth is good, you can limit yourself to thoroughly rinsing your mouth. Rapid plaque formation requires additional daily tooth brushing.

Oral hygiene quality control carried out using dyes that are harmless to the body in the form of rinsing with solutions or chewing tablets. When plaque is present, it becomes stained, which means poor quality teeth cleaning.