Zentflex Toothbrush evaluation | Teethstars.com

Brushing your tooth with an excessive amount of drive could cause everlasting injury to the very important tooth construction. However how a lot drive is an excessive amount of? The Zent flex toothbrush provides an elegantly easy answer that ensures you all the time brush with precisely the proper strain.

My preliminary impression of the concept behind the Zent Flex toothbrush was, “That’s sensible!”  There are related ideas in electrical toothbrushes that beep at you or flash a crimson gentle when the consumer makes use of an excessive amount of strain, however they don’t really cease the drive.  We all the time advise sufferers to brush gently with a soft-bristled toothbrush.  In spite of everything, it takes little or no strain to take away dental plaque from the tooth.  However in my expertise, there are some individuals who simply can’t appear to reduce the strain they use.  The distinctive design of the click joint within the Zent Flex toothbrush could also be precisely what they want.

Tooth enamel is the toughest construction within the human physique, a lot more durable than bones.  It’s doable, albeit tough, to mechanically abrade (progressively put on away) enamel.  Enamel abrasion will not be our largest concern with poor brushing approach, although.  

There are two severe penalties of an aggressive toothbrushing approach: 1) gum recession, and a pair of) root abrasion.

Though poor brushing approach will not be the first reason behind gum recession, it’s definitely a contributing consider many instances.  The gum tissues surrounding the tooth are comparatively delicate, so any inappropriate drive could cause them to again away from that perceived damage.  Gum recession in itself is unhealthy as a result of it’s a lack of attachment between the tooth and the underlying jawbone.  Gums which have receded don’t develop again.  Extreme gum recession can require gum grafting surgical procedure to restore the defects.

Within the consideration of poor brushing approach, a recession is exceptionally unhealthy as a result of it exposes the roots of the tooth, rising the danger for the second consequence of arduous brushing: root abrasion.  Root abrasion is more likely than enamel abrasion as a result of the roots of tooth shouldn’t have a protecting enamel coating.  As an alternative, the roots are coated in a skinny layer of cementum, which may be very prone to abrasion.  As soon as the cementum is gone, the underlying dentin (the key part of tooth) is uncovered, resulting in a excessive danger for cavities and tooth sensitivity.  Like gums, cementum and dentin don’t regenerate on their very own.  If extreme abrasion happens, dental restorations may be essential to restore the defects.

The Zent Flex mechanism of “breaking” the joint at 150g of drive is acceptable primarily based on scientific analysis in regards to the drive required to take away dental plaque versus the drive that damages dentin.  Analysis helps (and it simply is sensible) that rising drive will improve plaque elimination.  That’s the entire level of brushing: to take away the sticky movie of plaque that incorporates disease-causing micro organism.  Sooner or later, although, that rising drive will take away not solely the plaque but in addition the dentin to which it’s caught!

The brink of 150 grams of drive can be an accepted standardized quantity for Toothbrushing as the suitable quantity of strain.  We see this within the testing protocols that the American Dental Affiliation makes use of in its Relative Dentin Abrasivity (RDA) index.  They use 150g of drive when testing the abrasion potential of varied sorts of toothpaste.

The explanation dentin is so important to this dialog is that it incorporates tiny pores, referred to as tubules, which create a communication between the oral setting and the nerve inside every tooth.  Chemical or mechanical processes that open or widen these tubules will open that communication, that means you can be extra more likely to really feel sizzling, chilly, and candy sensations within the nerve.  This research reveals that utilizing a decrease drive when brushing really helps to shrink these tiny pores, lowering sensitivity considerably.

[Side note: While sensitivity is a more common consequence of open dentinal tubules, we also need to worry about cavities.  The open pores in dentin increase the risk for bacterial contamination, and therefore increase the risk for cavities on these exposed root surfaces.]

After utilizing the comb myself, I used to be stunned to study that I brush too arduous!  I’m a dentist!  After all, I take into account myself to be somebody with an important brushing approach.  Throughout my first use of the Zentflex, it was arduous to cease laughing at myself as a result of the click joint broke again and again.  I did really feel, as I brushed, that I might need been lacking areas, which brought on me to pay shut consideration to how totally I used to be overlaying the tooth.

The comb itself is snug and well-constructed.  The bristles really feel soft-to-medium-soft.  (Extra importantly, they felt a lot softer after the click joint broke at 150g of drive.)  As I continued brushing, I observed that I used to be progressively altering my approach to maintain the joint from breaking, so I believe this brush carries nice potential for coaching folks within the applicable quantity of toothbrushing drive.  If that is the one toothbrush you utilize, I imagine that over time you’ll develop a brushing approach that might not trigger the joint to interrupt.

Conclusion

This toothbrush could be an exquisite device for anybody with delicate tooth, gum recession, root publicity, or just a naturally heavy brushing approach.  I like to recommend it for these specific folks as a result of its protecting skills and its coaching potential.  It additionally has the benefit of being a lot cheaper than the common electrical toothbrushes that promote the identical protecting capabilities.

Dr. Lara Coseo

Dr. Lara Coseo, (DDS, FAGD) is a 2004 graduate of Baylor School of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas. Having practiced common dentistry for 13 years, Dr. Lara at present serves as an Affiliate Professor at Texas A&M School of Dentistry.