Most people think that tooth brushing is a healthy daily practice. But is that true?

The truth is that it could be healthy if it is approached correctly but sadly, as it is mostly practised and understood it is often very unhealthy. The problem is that people do not really understand what it is and what it is for and that is our responsibility as dental health professionals. We have let you down in this area.

Any practising dentist will tell you that he/she frequently comes across tooth brush damage. This is where people scrub their delicate tissues and cause what is essentially irreparable damage. Once this damage has been caused it actually increases the risk of disease.  I would add that the vast majority of people that I see show strong signs of this.  Sometimes the damage is small and not so easy to see and sometimes it is so gross that it is impossible to miss and then everything in between as well.

This happens as a result of the changes to the natural shape of teeth and gums creating new microenvironments and the possibility of new bacterial profiles, which could create disease.

It is worth knowing about and the information can save you much in terms of needing treatment. A good understanding can be gotten from my book “Something To Chew On”. The human behavioural issue at the core of the problem does not feature in the dentist curriculum and so does not get much notice.

We go on year after year talking about the benefits of tooth brushing but not explaining that for the practice to be healthy we need more specific information and explanation.

Get the book here

If you would like a detailed healthy brushing programme you can contact me at

[email protected]