One of my most favorite things to do is pick
out a new toothbrush. It never seizes to amaze me how many different options of
toothbrushes there are to choose from. From the size, to the colors, and from
the bristle strength to the bristle shape. Some toothbrushes now have motors,
some have a regular plastic handle. Nonetheless, the process of choosing the
right brush matters.
When I was younger, I always wanted a toothbrush that had
rock hard bristles. I felt like the harder the bristle, the better the
toothbrush would actually clean my teeth. I also brushed really hard to try to
get every last bit of build up off my teeth. In fact, my dentist actually told
me that I shouldn’t be brushing so hard and that brushing hard actually does
the opposite of a good cleaning. He told me brushing harder is not doing the
job I think it is doing. It wasn’t until I cleaned my golf clubs with a
toothbrush that I finally believed the advice of my dentist.
When you’re cleaning mud, dirt, and grime out
of the grooves of a golf club with a toothbrush, it’s actually ineffective to
scrub hard. The reason being, from what I have learned, is that the tips of the
bristles (the very thing that is meant to do the cleaning) actually lie down
the harder they are pressed. So, you’re left with the sides of the bristles to
do work that they were not intended to be doing. You don’t see the grime begin
to disappear until you gently scrub the face of the club. Then and only then
will the tips of the bristles be making contact with the residue build up and
work to remove it.
Therefore, when it comes to the mindset I have
for brushing my own teeth, I constantly refer back to the golf club example. I
know no matter how hard I brush, my teeth are not getting as clean as they
could be if instead I gently brushed them. This is especially true when it
comes to brushing between my teeth. The main reason we need to floss is because
as the bristles hit the gaps, they lie down and the side of the bristle is what
is making contact with the build up. And as we previously discussed, the side
of the bristle is no good when it comes to cleaning our teeth.
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