My Fixed Bridge Makes My Life Easier

When I had a badly decayed tooth extracted, I got a partial denture to fill in the gap. I didn't mind it at first, because I was just so happy to have my painful tooth out of my mouth. Over time, I began to get tired of taking it out at night. I asked my dentist if I was could get a dental implant, and he said that my gum disease did not make me a good candidate, but a fixed bridge may be a good option for me. I went with his suggestion, and I have no regrets. I love feeling like I have a real tooth again that I don't have to remove at night. I created this blog to remind other people with a missing tooth that they have many replacement options, and if one is not for you, then try another that may be right.

Why Toothbrush Size Matters

Dentist Blog

It's bad enough that you get visually walloped by the sheer number of toothpaste types when you walk into the dental care aisle at a store, but do you have to be confronted by several different types of toothbrushes as well? If you want to choose the best toothbrush for your needs, you need to start narrowing down the features you require. One of these is size, and it's essential that you find the correct one because it has more of an impact on your brushing than you might realize.

Too Small, and You Miss Spots

If you have a gag reflex, a small mouth, temporomandibular joint syndrome, or another condition that makes you not want to open your mouth that wide, a small or compact toothbrush head can help you reach the back of your mouth without creating too much discomfort. If you make the brush too small, you'll end up missing spots on your teeth because it will simply take too long to brush everything. This can lead to an increased incidence of decay despite all your brushing.

Too Large, and... You Miss Spots

At the same time, if you use a brush that has a head that's too large you can still end up missing spots. With a brush head that's too big, you might not want to move the brush all the way to the back of your jaw because it might set off your gag reflex. You might also become a little complacent regarding the size and start brushing less effectively, because you've assumed that the larger brush will cover everything, when it really won't.

You Can Have More Than One Toothbrush

One way around this conundrum is to have more than one toothbrush. Normally, you can find a toothbrush size that meets that happy medium between too big and too small. However, if you have special circumstances or if the stores near you always seem to be out of the size you want, you can have two different sizes and use them on different parts of your mouth. If you already don't brush that well, this may seem like a big pain; but if you are already in the habit of brushing daily, adjusting to using two different brushes shouldn't take long.

You can also talk to your family dentist about which brush size would be better. At the same time, have the dentist review brushing technique with you, as this will help make your brushing more efficient no matter which size of brush you use.

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12 June 2018