As our website is highly ranked, if we link to you then your rank may increase. Also we have extensive resources available for patients to read such as hints and tips on oral care, connections between systemic health and oral health, fact sheets on aspects of dental treatments and videos on topics such as how to brush, floss etc. You may wish to provide links to these resources at appropriate points within your website etc., rather than recreate them, or use our resources as a further reading reference for your foundation material. For example, after an aritcle on your website, you could insert "for further information click here." Linking is mutually beneficial - as we will both get more Internet traffic and visitors as a result. To enable us to send you free samples when appropriate.

Welcome

Are you a...

Guest (Retail/ Consumer)

General Business, Corporates,Health & Medical Professionals, Consumers
Welcome Consumer

Dental Professional (Wholesale Accounts)

Welcome Dental Professional

This Website uses Cookies.
Please ensure that your browser has cookies enabled.

Login Register Browse Without Prices
piksters
  • Register
  • Account Login
  • (0)$0.00 (AUD)
  • Account Login
  • (0)$0.00 (AUD)
  • ×
×
  • Home
  • Products
    • Interdental brushes
    • ECO-Range
    • Personal Protective Equipment
    • Toothpicks and Floss/Flossers
    • Adult Toothbrushes, Toothpaste More
    • Kids Collection
    • Oral Care Accessories
    • For the Hobbyist
    • Miscellaneous
    • Tooth Toner
    • Tooth Whitening
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Tooth Toner
  • International Stockists
  • PPE
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
1800 817 155
Cart (0)
Account Login
Home  »  Blog

How to Reduce Damage to your Gums Caused by Tooth Brushing

May 7, 2021 Share it
Why Bitting Toothbrush Can Help Clean Difficult AreasThe gums in some patients shrink back quite dramatically over the years – sometimes over a few months -and yet in others, they go for decades without any apparent wear and tear on the gums. Why the difference? What are some people doing that others don’t?  I have asked patients what sort of tooth brushing technique they used and reached some conclusions which I will share below. it should be said  though that Shrinkage of the gums is not necessarily all about tooth brushing technique.  Some people are born unlucky with very thin fragile types of gum and they are probably going to get some shrinkage or wear back no matter what they do – which gives rise to the saying “ long in the tooth “…..but if you want to reduce it consider these tips:

The Length of the Brush Stroke

The length of the stroke is in my opinion the key determinant of how much the gum will wear back. The people that I’ve seen the most dramatic or rapid wear of the gums appear to have a stroke that is approximately 2 to 4 cm. This translates into a fair amount of dragging and scratching of the bristle tips on the gum. I recommend a 1 cm length of stroke which produces a shorter and arguably less abrasive 2 to 3 mm of bristle tip movement on the gum – just enough to remove the plaque and no more.

Using a Ridiculously Hard Brush

The other factor that affects gum wear is using a ridiculously hard brush. Most dentists recommend a soft brush for this reason.  A hard brush is like a bed of nails as far as the gum is concerned.  And when you use it with a long stroke and plenty of pressure you can kiss goodbye to several millimetres of gum.  There is not a lot of science to prove that a medium bristle with a short-stroke causes any problem but most dentists err on the safe side and recommend soft only. Some people feel that that does not clean their teeth properly so if you insist on using a medium make sure you use a short vibrating type of stroke … Look in the mirror and confirm it is not much more than 1 cm …rather than a long steam train style four centimetre. How hard you should push on the brush will be the subject of another hint, but as a teaser, I will mention a brief anecdote. When I commenced practice I saw a dental history form from the American Dental Association. It had some good questions – two of them were:
  1. Do you brush your teeth vigorously or lightly?
  2. Do your gums lead when you brush? 
I made up my own patient record card with these questions and I was shocked at the answers and the conclusions that I reached were the exact opposite to what I expected from my undergraduate training. I expected the correct answer was likely and that would mean your gums didn’t bleed because you were being nice and gentle. How wrong I was! There was an overwhelming preponderance of peoples gums not leading when they brushed vigorously. Bingo! From then on I figured vigorous brushing is a good thing as long as the length of the stroke is short and the bristle is not too hard. But how to tell what is vigorous and how hard to push – that will be in another hint.

Blog Home

Footer

Australian Facilities

Australian Headquarters and Warehouse
5-9 Kylie Street,
Macksville NSW 2447, Australia

Sydney Research & Development Facility
5/224 Headland Rd,
North Curl Curl NSW 2099, Australia

International Warehouses

If you are an international dealer please note we can reduce the freight to you by shipping from one of our two international locations.

We have warehouses at:
Los Angeles, USA
Liverpool, UK

Contact Us

Global Call: +612 6568 3773
Toll free US: 1877 227 0855
Toll free AUSTRALIA: 1800 817 155
Email: info@piksters.com
Piksters Erskine Oral Care Australia

Website Use Terms & Conditions | Trading Terms | Privacy Policy | Frequently Asked Questions

© Piksters 2022. All rights reserved.

footer logo

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT