Brushing Techniques

Sulcular Tooth Brushing Technique

This technique focuses on removing plaque from the small area of the tooth between the edge of the gum tissue and the place where the gum tissue actually attaches to the crest of the bone. Around healthy teeth this crevice is called the sulcus and is little more than a millimeter in depth, a length that a tooth brush bristle can easily slide into and clean effectively.

To cleanse the sulcus of plaque the bristles of the tooth brush are placed perpendicular to the tooth surface and pressed against the neck of the teeth so that the bristle tips compress and fan out to form a thin edge that is able to slide into the narrow sulcular crevice.

Once the brush is positioned as described above, the plaque is broken up by gently vibrating the brush back and forth in an anterior (front of the face) to posterior (back of the head) direction.

The final movement of the stroke is a twist of the wrist (similar to the way one would turn a screwdriver) to sweep the loosened plaque out of the sulcus.