I’m not going to nag about brushing, but I am going to very strongly suggest an electric toothbrush, if you’re not already using one. Plaque removal is essential to healthy gums, and an electric toothbrush does more to remove plaque than a manual one.
I’m not sure why dentists aren’t more vigorous in their recommendation of electric toothbrushes. If you ask them, they’ll tell you, yes, they work better. But they don’t push them on you or tell you they definitely work a lot better or tell you you should definitely use one.
I had thought the sales points/commercials saying they remove a lot more plaque than regular toothbrushes was just advertising. Until I started using one. Despite regular brushing (with a manual toothrbrush) and flossing, I couldn’t get rid of build up behind my bottom front teeth. There’s kind of some nooks and crannies in there. After I got my teeth cleaned, it would build up in a matter of a week and continue to build up until my next cleaning despite at-least-twice-daily brushing and flossing. Since I’ve gotten an electric toothbrush, I can go the whole six months between cleanings with no noticeable build up.
And you can get one that has a sensor that will tell you if you’re brushing too hard.
