Oral hygiene

What is an electric toothbrush?

Electric rechargeable toothbrushes can help improve the health of your teeth and gums. A variety of electric toothbrushes use an oscillating-rotating brushing technique, which can achieve better oral health compared to traditional manual toothbrushes. With an electric toothbrush, the brush head surrounds each tooth individually, gently removing up to 100 percent more plaque along the gumline. Compared to regular manual toothbrushes, electric toothbrushes provide the brushing movements automatically, so you only need to guide the toothbrush along your teeth. For thorough cleaning, it's important to move the brush head of the electric toothbrush to every area in the mouth.

How to use an electric toothbrush correctly?

With electric toothbrushes, you don't need to press hard or scrub, just guide the brush head along the teeth while it handles the brushing motion independently. Many electric rechargeable toothbrushes also have pressure sensors that indicate if the brush head is pressing too hard against the teeth.

Step 1

Your electric toothbrush should be charged before use. Many electric toothbrushes have indicator lights that show the charging status, so you always know if your toothbrush is charged.

Step 2

Apply a little toothpaste to the brush head of your electric toothbrush and turn it on. If you have an electric toothbrush with a round brush head, simply move it from tooth to tooth. Start with the outer surfaces of the teeth. Gently guide the brush from tooth to tooth, holding the brush head against each tooth for a few seconds before moving to the next one. Always consider the shape of each tooth and the gumline.

Step 3

After cleaning the outer surfaces, repeat Step 2 on the inner surfaces of your teeth.

Step 4

After cleaning the outer and inner surfaces, repeat Step 2 on the chewing surfaces of the teeth and behind the molars.

Step 5

Don't forget your gums. Guide the brush head of your electric toothbrush along the gumline and over the gums. However, avoid pressing too hard or scrubbing.

Step 6

Guide the brush head along your tongue, from back to front.

Step 7

After thoroughly cleaning your teeth, rinse the brush head of your electric toothbrush with water and let it air dry.

We at Dr. Krause & Kollegen, your specialist dental practice for orthodontics in Munich, highly recommend an electric toothbrush to our patients.

Enjoy brushing, Your orthodontist in Munich, Dr. Sebastian Krause.

It's of great importance to teach children the correct brushing technique from the beginning so that they can always follow the same pattern. This is where the KAI brushing technique comes into play. This brushing method is easy to remember and simple for children to learn.

When brushing teeth, no tooth surfaces should be forgotten, which is why KAI dictates a strict sequence to avoid missing anything:

K = (,,Kauen'') Chewing surfaces. In the first step, all chewing surfaces should be cleaned with short back-and-forth movements.

A = (,,Außen'') Outer surfaces. In the next step, the outer surfaces of the teeth are cleaned in circular motions. The teeth should be closed together, and each tooth should be brushed from the center outwards, to the right and left.

I = (,,Innen'') Inner surfaces. In the final step, the inner surfaces of the teeth are cleaned with small rotating and circular motions from the gumline to the tooth (from red to white).

Ideally, teeth should be brushed after every meal - especially after consuming sweets. From the age of three, your orthodontist in Munich, Dr. Sebastian Krause, recommends brushing teeth at least twice a day (after breakfast and before bedtime).

We at the specialist dental practice for orthodontics in Munich recommend teaching your child how to brush their teeth in a playful manner. From the age of three or four, your child can already try to brush their teeth alone. However, it's important that you continue to supervise and assist your child with brushing their teeth regularly until they reach school age, especially in the evening before bedtime.

Enjoy brushing, Your orthodontist in Munich, Dr. Sebastian Krause.

In our specialist dental practice for orthodontics in Munich, fixed braces are often applied between the ages of 12 and 14. However, fixed orthodontic appliances can also be used in adulthood to correct dental misalignment. To achieve a truly beautiful smile after orthodontic treatment in our orthodontic practice in Munich, it is important to attend regular check-up appointments with your orthodontist, Dr. Sebastian Krause, and to follow his instructions, as well as to adapt your daily tooth brushing routine to the fixed braces.

Fixed braces are true breeding grounds for bacteria because saliva cannot wash around the teeth as effectively with a fixed appliance, hindering natural mouth cleaning. For this reason, it is particularly important to clean the fixed braces properly to avoid cavities, gum inflammation, and bad breath. The likelihood of demineralization of tooth enamel may also increase, leading to the development of white or gray spots on the teeth.

For optimal braces care, we recommend using a short-head toothbrush, dental floss, and an interdental brush.

Start by thoroughly rinsing your teeth with water or mouthwash to remove large food particles. Initially, clean each individual tooth with circular motions. The areas above and below the wire should be cleaned separately to remove all plaque. Hold the brush at a 45-degree angle between the wire and the tooth. For wires, bands, and brackets, your orthodontist, Dr. Sebastian Krause, recommends orthodontic brushes specifically designed for cleaning fixed braces. Interdental brushes or tufted brushes should be used to clean the spaces between the teeth. Superfloss is also suitable for cleaning between the teeth. After brushing, rinse your mouth again with water or mouthwash.

In addition to daily tooth cleaning, it is advisable to clean your teeth with a high-dose fluoride gel once or twice a week – do not rinse with water afterwards.

Enjoy brushing, Your orthodontist in Munich, Dr. Sebastian Krause.

Daily dental cleaning requires a lot of practice and skill for patients with fixed braces to completely remove all food debris between the metal wires and brackets. Conventional manual toothbrushes often cannot reach and clean all areas in the mouth. For this reason, we recommend an electric toothbrush at Dr. Krause & Kollegen, your specialist dental practice for orthodontics in Munich. With an electric sonic toothbrush, brushing becomes even easier, more thorough, and above all, faster. Additionally, around the braces, you should use interdental brushes.

With an electric sonic toothbrush, the sonic technology generates extremely high speeds at the bristle tips, creating a high fluid flow. Due to this high flow, the fluid penetrates deeply into narrow interdental spaces, thus supporting the cleaning of areas that are difficult to reach with a manual toothbrush.

However, wearers of fixed braces do not necessarily need a sonic toothbrush. Electric round head toothbrushes are also suitable for dental care with fixed braces. The key is simply selecting the appropriate brush head. Nowadays, so-called ortho brush heads for electric toothbrushes are available. These are equipped with a special bristle arrangement, enabling the thorough removal of dental plaque with fixed braces. Additionally, there are also interspace brush heads on the market specifically designed for cleaning interdental spaces.

Are electric toothbrushes suitable for children?

When it comes to dental cleaning, the brush itself is not necessarily decisive; rather, it's the correct brushing technique. Therefore, purchasing an electric toothbrush for children is only advisable once they have fully mastered the brushing technique with a manual toothbrush.

Enjoy brushing, Your orthodontist in Munich, Dr. Sebastian Krause.

Every child knows that a toothbrush is essential for keeping teeth healthy. However, not only children but also many adults are often unaware that cleaning the interdental spaces is just as important. Dental floss and interdental brushes are part of the basic dental care routine, just like a toothbrush. Teeth and gums cannot remain healthy in the long term without suitable tools for cleaning interdental spaces: cavities and periodontitis are the consequences if interdental spaces are occupied by bacterial plaque. Comprehensive interdental hygiene is also possible during orthodontic treatment at our specialist orthodontic practice in Munich.

The use of dental floss is largely restricted during orthodontic treatment because the metal wires of the fixed braces prevent thorough cleaning of the interdental spaces. In this case, it is recommended to clean the interdental spaces of the front teeth with Superfloss, a special floss with a threader. This floss with reinforced ends has a larger surface area than regular floss, making it more effective at cleaning your teeth and interdental spaces.

We are happy to show you or your child how to best use floss with a threader in our specialist orthodontic practice in Munich, so you can perfectly clean your interdental spaces despite having brackets. In adulthood, interdental brushes are also suitable for cleaning slightly wider interdental spaces. Ideally, these brushes should be used two to three times a week in the evening to achieve optimal oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment with fixed braces at your orthodontist in Munich, Dr. Sebastian Krause.

Enjoy brushing, Your orthodontist in Munich, Dr. Sebastian Krause.

Every child knows that a toothbrush is essential for keeping teeth healthy. However, not only children but also many adults are often unaware that cleaning the interdental spaces is just as important. Dental floss and interdental brushes are part of the basic dental care routine, just like a toothbrush. Teeth and gums cannot remain healthy in the long term without suitable tools for cleaning interdental spaces: cavities and periodontitis are the consequences if interdental spaces are occupied by bacterial plaque. Comprehensive interdental hygiene is also possible during orthodontic treatment at our specialist orthodontic practice in Munich.

The use of dental floss is largely restricted during orthodontic treatment because the metal wires of fixed braces prevent thorough cleaning of the interdental spaces. In this case, it is recommended to clean the interdental spaces of the front teeth with Superfloss, a special floss with a threader. This floss with reinforced ends has a larger surface area than regular floss, making it more effective at cleaning your teeth and interdental spaces.

We are happy to show you or your child how to best use floss with a threader in our specialist orthodontic practice in Munich, so you can perfectly clean your interdental spaces despite having brackets. In adulthood, interdental brushes are also suitable for cleaning slightly wider interdental spaces. Ideally, these brushes should be used two to three times a week in the evening to achieve optimal oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment with fixed braces at your orthodontist in Munich, Dr. Sebastian Krause.

Enjoy brushing, Your orthodontist in Munich, Dr. Sebastian Krause.