Here's Why Your Dentist Wants You To Brush In Little Circles
Everyone brushes their teeth, but there's a big difference between brushing the right way and the wrong way. If your dentist has told you that they want you to brush your teeth with small, circular motions, this isn't advice that you should ignore. Chances are, your family dentist has told you this based on the condition of your oral hygiene. Here's why you should change up the way you brush.
Better Inbetween
When you brush from side to side, as many people do, you do a pretty good job of clearing away bacteria, plaque, and debris from the front and back of your teeth. However, going side to side neglects one key area: the spaces between your teeth.
While toothbrushes aren't as effective at getting into this space as floss, they do still help to loosen and remove build-up between the teeth, to an extent. However, this is diminished to almost nothing if you brush from side to side. By moving in small circles, the brush moves up and down over the space between your teeth, letting the bristles slide in and clean the area between them. With a side-to-side motion, the brush simply glides over this space, and the bristles don't help your oral hygiene as much.
Gum Care
Brushing in small circles is also better for your gums.
Brushing in small circles ensures that your toothbrush is gently massaging your gums. If you go from side-to-side, the bristles only partially touch the edge of the gums. Moving in circles helps to clear out gum pockets, if you have gum disease, and it can also help to stimulate your gums' circulation and improve their overall health. If you're only brushing side-to-side, your gums aren't getting the full efficacy that toothbrushing can provide.
Tooth Coverage
Lastly, side-to-side brushing is a problem because you may not actually be covering the entirety of your teeth.
For your larger front teeth and your molars, brushing from side to side may only touch part of each tooth. You could end up with more bacteria and plaque build-up at the bottom and top of your teeth, which increases your risk of erosion of the tooth and gum disease, too. By going in small circles, you ensure that the entire surface area of the tooth, from the gums to the very tip, are as clean as possible. This will lower your risk of developing all kinds of oral hygiene problems, including cavities.
Try brushing in small circles for a while, and you'll notice the difference. Your gums will feel healthier, your teeth will stay cleaner longer after a professional dental cleaning, and your next check-up will likely have more favorable results than your most recent one.
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