My teeth hadn't been professionally cleaned for just over a year, so in spite of regular brushing and flossing, it was not a pleasant experience. I asked the hygienist, "What more can I do?" to avoid an uncomfortable repeat every time I'm in the dentist's office. I'm willing to go in and have her clean my teeth every six months, but perhaps she could give me some tips.
"Brush more often?" I wondered.
"No," she said. "Brush longer."
It takes only 12 hours for tartar to harden on the teeth, she told me, and there are particular spots that most people tend to spend less time on.
I came home and have been brushing and flossing with a vengeance after every meal. A monster may have been created.
And then when Cathy and I were talking on the phone this morning, she told me she knows someone who is having trouble with her tooth enamel because she brushes too much.
Oh for heaven's sake. You can't win fer losin'! Now what?
That little purple-handled brush is called, the hygienist informs me, an "end-tufted" brush. I have been looking for a new one for more than 10 years and never been fortunate enough to find one even in the big-city drugstores. I got this one from my dentist in Alberta back in the day. My hygienist is going to find a supplier. These little brushes are handy-dandy for getting in behind your furthest-back molars.
