Dental care: brushing your teeth properly

Women are investing their money wrongly, says Inès de la Fressange. Instead of cosmetic surgery and expensive anti-aging creams, investing in beautiful teeth to look youthful would be much more sensible. The Frenchwoman is a model and not a doctor, but her assessment is correct. When we meet someone, their smile is the most noticeable thing after eye contact. In fact, 81 percent of Germans rate well-groomed teeth as the most attractive attribute. According to a study by King’s College in London, people with flawless teeth earn more because superiors associate them with health, strength, balance, competence, and credibility. 

“Over the years, tooth substance weakens, teeth become greyer, smaller, and move backward,” explains Dr. Sebastian Helgert, a dentist in Munich. All of this affects facial features, skin tone, and charisma. If the position of the teeth changes, the face literally collapses and loses “height,” which simply makes you look older. Wrinkles appear around the mouth, and when you smile or speak, you can see dark holes, the so-called buccal corridor between the cheeks and molars. Also, because orthodontists used to well-meaningly pull teeth to make room for the growing teeth, many people are missing a few of the 32 teeth, which causes the cheeks to sink in as they get older. 

The perfect tooth-brushing technique  

There are a number of recommended tooth brushing techniques, such as “Charters”, “Stilmann” or the “red to white” brushing technique. The most popular internationally is the “Bass” method. This focuses on the gum line (the transition between the gums and the neck of the tooth) and the chewing surfaces. A soft, multi-tufted toothbrush with rounded bristle ends should be used for this technique. The bristles should be the same length – short brush heads are ideal for cleaning the molars as well. Be careful: many beautifully designed brushes lose their therapeutic function. 

Here’s how:  

• Position the toothbrush at a 45° angle to the gum line. 

• Press the toothbrush so that it still feels comfortable. You should use a light amount of force so that the bristles are pressed into the space between the neck of the tooth and the gums. 

• Perform horizontal shaking movements for eight seconds, or 12 seconds if the dirt is very dirty. 

• Use the same technique inside and out. 
• Then spend a little extra time on the chewing surfaces.