Dear LPG readers,

I read with interest an article about remembering to be kind to your teeth (►►►) on your web pages recently.  

And my tooth-cleaning habit has become a bit lax of late, too.  Perhaps it is a fact that, when you have been repeating such a task every day for so long, it is destined to suffer.  In my case I know that the two minutes gets concertinaed into less than one if I am not careful with the twice a day cleaning routine often ending up as a ‘once with the brush and a water swishing action with one pouring of mouthwash straight from the bottle often representing the tooth cleaning session at the other end of the day.   

It was reading what was written in that article that brought out my feelings of guilt towards the way I treat my teeth so much of the time, even though I, too, have (nothing personal) an aversion to dentists.   It then occurred to me that even though it only takes two minutes to clean your teeth properly, all my remaining teeth would say I am rubbish at doing it right, if they could talk.    

My subconscious neglect of my teeth cannot have been that subconscious, because as soon as the electric toothbrush became the latest thing, I invested in one. However, even then, it still takes two minutes to ensure that the bristles make contact with each tooth.  Things have not improved much as I have got older either.   TM shared her story of an encounter with a mistaken chicken bone, and I have many similar stories that I could tell.  There have been losses, and logic should dictate that the lack of a full set of teeth should add to the time required for one’s daily teeth cleaning regimen. Still, while there are fewer teeth left in my mouth to bother with, the false ones need more than just a soak and getting the brush around them is an even more fiddly two-handed job.   

However, I recently discovered the latest in tooth cleaning equipment and gave it a try. Are readers aware of the U-shaped or mouthpiece toothbrushes that are now available? The thought of just putting it in your mouth and getting all your remaining teeth done at the same time, not to mention the fact that the whole process is said to be reduced to just 40 seconds using this method, was the reason that I got one as soon as I could.   I found out the hard way that, while the principle behind the invention seemed good, the results are not so.  In my opinion, the bristles don’t feel as if they always reach all the surfaces, nooks and crannies of all the teeth. 

It was after getting one and trying it out that I took a look online and found out that the internet agreed with my findings on the subject.  So, until they improve the new ones, I will revert to my previous method. While I was looking, I also found a few videos on the best brushing method to ensure your teeth are as clean as possible. I must admit that some details have improved my technique slightly. 

CP, Eltham.

CP offers what he found out about the new brushes…

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… and brushes up on the best way to clean the teeth you have left…

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