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Health Info

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Toothbrushing can remove dental plaque on tooth surfaces. We should brush our teeth in the morning and before bed at night every day. Thorough removal of plaque can prevent Periodontal Disease.

Start by brushing the outer surfaces of your teeth.

Begin with the upper and lower rows, positioning the toothbrush at an angle along the gumline. Brush in small groups of two to three teeth, using moderate pressure and a back-and-forth motion.

Next, brush the inner surfaces of your teeth.

Repeat the same motions as before to ensure a thorough clean.

Hold the toothbrush vertically when brushing the inner surfaces of your front teeth.

Use moderate pressure and move the brush from the gumline toward the crown of the tooth.

Finally, brush the chewing surfaces of your teeth.

Place the toothbrush on the chewing surfaces and continue brushing thoroughly to remove any remaining plaque and food particles.

Videos are available on the Department of Health website: https://www.toothclub.gov.hk/en/en_home_dv.html

A toothbrush with any kind of brush head cleans teeth effectively. However, the size of the brush head should be considered according to the size of the oral cavity. Nonetheless, the bristles must be soft. Thus, you can choose according to your personal preference.

0-2 years

Brush head size should be approximately the diameter of a Hong Kong 10-cent coin

(~15mm).

2-6 years

Brush head size should be approximately the diameter of a Hong Kong 20-cent coin

(~19mm).

6-12 years

Brush head size should be approximately the diameter of a Hong Kong 50-cent coin

(~22mm).

12 years and above

Brush head size should be approximately the diameter of a Hong Kong one-dollar coin

(~25mm).

A wide range of toothbrushes is available at our dental clinic. Feel free to visit us and choose the one that suits you best. Source: https://www.toothclub.gov.hk/

Toothbrushing cannot clean the adjacent surfaces of teeth. If we want to remove the plaque accumulated on the adjacent tooth surfaces, we must use dental floss or interdental brush daily. Parents or caregivers can assist children or people in need to clean adjacent tooth surfaces by using a floss holder.

Dental Floss

Floss holder

(Dental floss stick)

  1. Use a piece of dental floss which is approximately 20-25 cm long. Tie both ends to make a loop. Use the thumbs and the forefingers of both hands to hold the floss, leaving about 2 cm of floss in between.
  1. Use a sawing motion to slide the floss into the interdental space.
  1. Wrap around one tooth making a "C" shape and gently pull down to the deepest part of the gingival sulcus, and then slide it up and down against the tooth. Then wrap around the adjacent tooth and repeat the up and down motions.
Source: https://www.toothclub.gov.hk/

Interdental brushes are good at cleaning areas with larger gaps between teeth, especially those with periodontal disease. Gum atrophy/ recession can lead to partial exposure of tooth roots and root concavity, which are difficult to clean with dental floss alone. Using an interdental brush can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Since the enamel of permanent teeth is slightly transparent, the yellowish colour of the underlying dentine is shown through it. Therefore, permanent teeth will appear slightly yellowish. As we get older, the dentine increasingly grows thicker, and it is normal that our teeth become more yellowish.
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