Rolling Method and Technique for Brushing the Teeth

Many people brush their teeth quickly and without attention to a specific technique; however, there are many methods to help you keep your teeth and gums healthy. Certain observations and advice apply to all brushing methods, such as brush both the inner and outer surfaces of your teeth, spend about two minutes brushing thoroughly and brush your tongue to reduce bad breath.

The Technique

• This technique uses a soft brush, placed at the point where your teeth and gums meet, held and about a 45 degree angle to your teeth. While brushing, roll the bristles in a round motion about 20 times before moving on to the next adjacent teeth. Because this is a method many dentists employ to remove plaque and tartar along the gum line, its focus on the gum line mighty cause you to neglect other parts of your teeth.

Drawbacks

• Much of the motion and contact between the brush and teeth takes place along the gum line, so using the rolling technique alone may be insufficient. The large, semi-flat tops of molars and premolars can collect food, and the biting ends of incisors or canines may also need attention. Untreated, these parts of the teeth may experience tooth decay. If you are using the rolling technique along your gum line, consider supplementing it with another method so as to reach further up along the sides and tops of your teeth.

Gums

• Your gums benefit from the rolling method, as do the spaces between teeth along the gum line. Uneaten food often collects in these areas, which you may not reach if you brush too quickly or carelessly, and neglect here can lead to plaque buildup. The direction of the bristles over your teeth and gums varies while using the rolling method. This, along with the longer duration of contact between the bristles and the teeth, can be effective in working food out of these tight spaces and wearing down plaque.

Alternative Brushing Techniques

• Teaching very small children to use the rolling method can be difficult due to their lack of patience and fine muscle control. Instead, children can learn the circular method, in which they hold their brushing arm parallel to the floor and move the entire arm in a circular roll. With practice, they can reduce the size of their circles and begin to adopt the rolling method. The vibratory method involves holding the brush at an angle similar to that of the rolling technique, and making little vibratory strokes with the bristle ends lying between two teeth. The vertical method is, as its name implies, reliant on up and down strokes along the surface of your teeth with the brush at a 90 degree angle to them. The horizontal method moves the bristles horizontally or at a slight angle across the surface of your teeth. This method is not especially effective in plaque or calculus removal, and may irritate or injure the gums.