Why Size Matters When It Comes to Your Dental Health

Has this ever happened to you: You’re tucked into bed, cozy and fast asleep, when all of a sudden — ouch! there’s a jolt of pain stemming from the back of your mouth.

It's a toothache. You try to go back to sleep, but the pain is just pulsing in your jaw.

Wake up call: you've been neglecting your molars without even knowing it.

According to an NBC News article, 90% of tooth decay happens on the biting surface of the back teeth – an area that’s largely treated with ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ Because molars are located in the back of the mouth, your regular-sized brush head can hardly reach and clean them. Plaque will aggressively build up around the area which will lead tooth decay to form.

So what can you do?

Choose the right brush and head size. Dentists recommend an appropriate brush size head to get to the furthest spots in the back of your mouth.

In Japan where citizens are dubbed as having the “best oral health in the world,” 80% of the manual toothbrush users choose small brush heads, according to a 2016 Nielsen Retail Audit on Manual Toothbrushes.

Locally, brands like Oral-B have extra small head toothbrush specifically designed to clean hard-to-reach areas, including the back molars.

Practice the right brushing technique. With the use of an extra small head toothbrush, brush your teeth gently and repeatedly in circular motions for 2 minutes, twice a day.

Losing one or two back molars might not be the end of the world, but it could lead to bigger, even permanent, problems, from difficulty in chewing to facial deformation. Plus, root canal procedure to restore your teeth can be expensive.

There’s no excuse not to treat your back molars right anymore. Prevention is the simplest cure. If done right, it can save you from a world of pain and hefty dental bills. 

SOURCE: Rappler

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