Elimination of the dental plaque formed in just a few minutes after each meal. This whitish biofilm (materia alba) rich in organic matters is the ideal substrate for bacteria which cause various tooth and periodontal pathologies (gums and bones).
Dental plaque elimination prevents periodontal diseases. Indeed, bacteria are accountable for gums’ soreness (gingivitis), which become red, sore and bleed easily when brushed. If the plaque is not brushed away, the periodontal bone will become sore (periodontitis). If no treatment is implemented, a patient might eventually lose his teeth.
The brushing also makes the salivary pH increase. Indeed, cavities may be caused by a salivary pH under 5, mainly due to the consumption of food. Toothpaste makes the pH return to its non-cariogenic value.
Tartar, which is basically mineralized dental plaque, cannot be brushed away and has to be removed in a dental operatory (tartar removal).
A frequency of twice a day is acceptable (morning and night). Eating and drinking straight after is forbidden (except water).
The minimum advised duration is 3 minutes. It corresponds to the time you need to clean all your teeth properly and to let the fluoride from the toothpaste act as an antibacterial agent which adheres to the teeth.
The jaws are treated one after the other, the brushing starts with the last tooth of one side and ends on the opposite side. For efficiency (to acquire automatic reflexes) brushing must be done the same way, every time :
1- The upper jaw, cleaning of the occusal sides (the side that chews) : the brush is set at the level of the last right molars and goes back and forth all the way to the last left molars (amplitude equivalent to two teeth, the movement must be done three to four times for each group of two teeth)
2- The upper jaw, cleaning of the lateral sides : on the cheek side, the brush is set both on the tooth and on the gum, the wrist circles down. The same gesture is repeated three to four times. Note that we always brush from the gum to the tooth (from red to white) to brush away the dental plaque biofilm which appears at the top of the tooth and between the teeth (the opposite gesture would bring the biofilm back to the teeth). We then brush the following teeth all the way to the opposite side. The brush goes onto the palate where the same movement is reproduced. The cleaning of the lingual sides of the incisors is made tooth by tooth, vertically
3-Same operation for the lower jaw.