Dentist warns about toothbrushes used by everyone: it’s a scam, you don’t need it at all

What factors have a greater impact on the condition of our teeth: genes or oral hygiene? According to Dentist Rūta Zykutė, who was a guest on Delfi TV, only one in ten children start first year of school with healthy teeth, but dental care is important not only for children. Taking the right steps can also help adults avoid frequent appointments with the dentist.

Are we choosing wrong toothbrushes?

After many years of working in the field of dentistry, Rūta Zykutė has noticed that with such a wide selection of toothbrushes available, we are often unaware that this is simply a marketing ploy that complicates the process of brushing teeth. According to her, the best cleaning tool is different, much simpler and it is a single-tooth toothbrush.

The doctor herself has been using a single-tooth toothbrush for several years and advises her patients to do the same as she has had no dental problems for many years thanks to this method of cleaning her teeth. The doctor says that a regular toothbrush is not necessary at all, but she does not recommend throwing it away as it can be used to distribute toothpaste.

“It really doesn’t take any longer. You can clean larger teeth using a rotating motion. You can even access those hard-to-reach areas that are really difficult to get to. If you have a very luxurious or expensive electric toothbrush, keep it, don’t throw it away, and use it to apply toothpaste to your teeth. Once it has done its job, put it away and grab a single-tooth brush,” says the dentist.

According to Rūta Zykutė, it is impossible to clean as thoroughly with a regular large toothbrush, and a single-tooth toothbrush is even suitable for children who have only a few teeth.

When asked why so few people know about the practicality of this oral hygiene tool, the doctor points out that marketing does not “care” about healthy teeth but rather about creating a greater need for oral hygiene products. Unfortunately, advertising is often the main source of information about oral hygiene for people who are not concerned about their health.

“You will be looking for help all the time, you will need products, you will fix things, you will buy again, and you will never get out of that cycle. My suggestion and advice are not to have this toothbrush but to use it. It’s like with shoes, you don’t line them up and sweep them all with a brush, you clean them one by one,” says the doctor.

Practical tips

According to Rūta Zykutė, we should not assume that poor dental health is hereditary. In the past, people simply had much less information about dental care, which is why many older people have dental problems that developed long ago.

According to the doctor, learning how to brush your teeth should start from an early age. Even when looking after children’s milk teeth, which will fall out sooner or later, it is important that children not only brush them twice a day themselves, but that parents help their children to ensure that all teeth are really clean. According to her, in Scandinavian countries, parents who do not take care of their children’s oral hygiene may even be fined.

During the live broadcast, the doctor also provided more practical advice on dental care. First of all, no matter what toothbrush you choose, it should be replaced at least every three months. It should also be borne in mind that if the bathroom and toilet are in the same room and the toilet lid is left open, the bacteria in the toilet will spread through droplets. For this reason, toothbrushes should be kept in a cupboard, away from the toilet.

There are cases when it is necessary to brush more than twice a day, but for healthy teeth, it is enough to brush in the morning and evening for at least two to three minutes. After brushing your teeth in the evening, you should not eat any snacks, according to the doctor, because the amount of saliva decreases significantly during sleep, so the teeth do not clean themselves. According to Rūta Zykutė, if you brush your teeth immediately after waking up, it is recommended to repeat this procedure after breakfast.

Although we usually talk about brushing our teeth, the doctor reminds us that the largest colony of bacteria is found between them. For this reason, she strongly recommends using dental floss. If the bacteria in the interdental spaces are not removed, they spread throughout the mouth.