A house that stands on only one pillar is unstable. The same applies to your oral health. Many patients believe that “brushing teeth” alone is sufficient. However, from a medical perspective, the home toothbrush is only one of four pillars necessary to permanently ward off caries and periodontitis.
The modern prevention concept in dentistry rests on four stable pillars. If one becomes unstable, the entire system is at risk. We will show you how to build your personal protective shield.
Pillar 1: Home Biofilm Management (The Daily Foundation)
We deliberately speak not only of “brushing,” but of management. Bacteria organize themselves in a sticky biofilm that you must mechanically disrupt.
- Technique Over Time: Whether you brush for 2 or 3 minutes is secondary. What matters is that you reach every tooth from all sides. Electric toothbrushes with pressure control take much of the work off your hands and protect the gums.
- The Critical 30 Percent: With a toothbrush, you only reach the chewing, outer, and inner surfaces. However, the interdental spaces account for approximately 30% of the total surface area. Anyone who does not use dental floss or interdental brushes essentially never cleans a third of their teeth. This is where almost all caries in adults begins.
- Tip: Clean the interdental spaces before brushing your teeth. This allows the active ingredients in the toothpaste to subsequently reach the niches as well.
Pillar 2: Fluoridation (The Chemical Protective Shield)
Mechanics alone are not enough; we need chemistry. Fluoride is not merely an additive, but a natural repair tool.
- What It Does: Acids from food dissolve minerals from tooth enamel. Fluorides promote remineralization, the reincorporation of calcium into the tooth. They also make enamel harder and more resistant to new acid attacks.
- Application: Use toothpaste with 1,450 ppm fluoride at home.
- The Professional Tip (“Spit, Don’t Rinse”): After brushing, only spit out the foam, but do not rinse with water. Water immediately washes away the valuable fluoride. Leave the residual film on your teeth so it can work overnight.
- Nutrition: Use fluoridated table salt at home to ensure basic supply.
Pillar 3: Tooth-Friendly Nutrition (The Biological Balance)
You do not have to give up sugar for healthy teeth—you just need to consume it wisely.
- Frequency Is More Important Than Quantity: Every time you eat sugar or carbohydrates, bacteria produce acid. Your saliva needs approximately 3 to 4 hours to neutralize this acid and repair the tooth. Anyone who snacks throughout the day or sips sugary beverages (including juices!) gives their teeth no rest period for regeneration.
- The Strategy: Eat sweets once “properly” as dessert rather than spread throughout the day.
- Chewing Exercise: Raw vegetables and whole grain bread stimulate saliva flow. Saliva is your natural “mouthwash”: it neutralizes acids and rinses away food particles.
Pillar 4: Professional Prevention (The Safety Net)
Even with perfect care, there are niches you cannot reach at home. This is where professional teeth cleaning (PTC) or professional biofilm management comes in.
- Deep Cleaning: We remove hard tartar and soft biofilm even far below the gum line and in the most remote corners.
- Polishing: New bacteria have a harder time adhering to polished, smooth teeth.
- Risk Assessment: We identify problems before you feel pain. An individual schedule (usually 2 to 4 times per year, depending on risk) ensures the long-term preservation of your teeth.
Conclusion: Dental health is teamwork. You handle Pillars 1, 2, and 3 at home—we support you with Pillar 4 in the practice. Together, we form an unbeatable team against caries.