Monday, February 1, 2010

Tutorial: How To Brush Your Teeth

I recently recieved numerous complaints from internet users that there are no good teeth brushing tutorials on the web.  In response, I have decided to write my own.

First of all, I feel the need to explain why some of the tutorials out there now are not effective.  I found a nice looking tutorial on Colgate's Webpage, but it was extremely biased and mutilated.

Colgate says this:
You should replace your toothbrush when it begins to show wear, or every three months, whichever comes first. It is also very important to change toothbrushes after you've had a cold, since the bristles can collect germs that can lead to reinfection.

First of all, it is not necessary to buy a new toothbrush after you get sick.  Your immune system will have built up an immunity, and will be able to fight off any counter-attacks by the same germ (or virus).  MC Krau-z reccomeneds running your toothbrush under hot water to wash off any pathogens, just in case.  But there is NO need to buy a new toothbrush; that is one of Colagte's many scams on their tutorial.

Colgate, those crazy fools, also said this:
Tilt the brush at a 45° angle against the gumline and sweep or roll the brush away from the gumline.
A 45 degree angle? How am I supposed to measure that? It is nearly impossible to get a perfect 45 degree angle while brushing your teeth, causing you to have an imperfect system.  How can we solve this problem? Well, Colgate is now selling their new Oral Hygiene Protractor. This handy little tool allows the user to measure their brushing angles to a perfect degree.  Never again will you be saddened when you use incorrect angles.  Your brushing will be much better.




Apart from the brushing angle scheme, Colgate put way too many links in their tutorial.  They have 3 links alone that link you to different products that they sell! You know what I'm thinking...Colgate is trying to get you to buy their toothbrushes! I knew it.  That tutorial wasn't really a tutorial, but a grand marketing scam designed to trick youngsters into buying a toothbrush!  How dare Colgate pull such a fast one on our community.  How dare they even think of advertising their toothbrushes on their website.  I should file harassment.


Crest, on the other hand, has a contrasting tutorial.  They start off by using strong evidence from a reliable source:
Flashing your best, most healthy smile means brushing well and often. In fact, the American Dental Association recommends brushing teeth twice a day for dental hygiene and to help promote dental health.

They brought in the ADA, and show the audience to brush their teeth.  Notice that there are NO links in the first part.  Crest continues on with...Oh no.... the 45 degree angle!!!!

On the outer and inner surfaces, brush your teeth at a 45-degree angle in short half-tooth-wide strokes against the gum line.
 But still, no links have been found in the tutorial.  It isn't until the "Choose the Right Toothpaste" section that Crest even tries to sell you something.  They even break down the different kind of toothpastes they have, so you can pick one that matches your oral needs.

I noticed at the bottom of Crest's page they link to Oral-B's page.  Curious, I decided to follow.  A similarity between all three websites is that they each have a pop-up, asking you if you want to take a survey.  It seems as if all these websites were made by similar companies.  Anyway, I looked for Oral-B's brushing tutorial, and was shocked with my finding.


Oral-B has hundreds of "Dental Health Topics," and it took me some time to find the tutorial on how to brush your teeth.  When I found it, I noticed there were not links at all.  It was a plain and simple tutorial, how to brush your teeth.  It did, however, still contain a 45 degree angle referral.  How disappointing...


Keep these techniques in mind when you brush your teeth, whether before or after flossing:
  • Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle toward the gum line.
  • When brushing your teeth, move the brush back and forth gently over the front, back and top (chewing surface) of your teeth. Don’t scrub hard along the gum line; you can irritate your gums.
  • Remember to brush (and floss) behind your lower (bottom) front teeth. Use the top bristles of the brush to reach this area. If this area is hard for you to reach with regular floss, try a floss holder or disposable flosser.
 The article was crisp and clean.  The only advertisements were the ones on the side, but they had pictures.  Everything is better with pictures.

In conclusion I found out that Oral-B has the best website for Dental Hygiene Topics, followed by Crest.  Drug along is Colgate, who needs to go back to college.

In a second conclusion, I wouldn't recommend basing any of your Dental Health on a Retail Website.  I would go to the ADA website, or hit up WebMD.


Pic from Granby House Dental at http://www.granbyhousedental.co.uk/images/toothbrushes.jpg

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