It’s a pretty common question we get. It makes sense that a hard bristled brush would do a better job scrubbing your teeth, right? However, the recommendation is to always use a soft bristled brush.
The bacterial plaque and food debris that we aim to remove is a thin gel that is lightly attached to your teeth. It comes off relatively easily with soft bristles. While the stiffer bristles would remove it as well, the stiffer bristles can be stiff enough to damage your teeth.
As an example, if you scrub a spot on your floor every day, twice a day, with a wire brush, it will quickly wear away a hole in the floor. On the other hand, a soft brush is much less likely to wear the floor away. The same holds for teeth. Harder bristles will damage teeth over time.
What about tartar or calculus?
While tartar and calculus are harder buildups that are stuck on teeth, even the firm bristle brushes won’t remove it. This is why you need to get your teeth professionally cleaned with the sharp instruments that can chip these buildups off your teeth. Give us a call if it is time to get them professionally cleaned. Your teeth will thank you for it.