Don't Just Care, Doctor Reveals Right Teeth Brushing Technique

Drg. Zahrah Almira Dental & Influencer (Adelia / VOI)

JAKARTA - Maintaining the health of your teeth and mouth is not only a matter of washing your teeth regularly, but also how to do it right. The reason is, wrong teeth brushing techniques can make dirt still left behind, and there is a risk of damaging your teeth and gums.

drg. Zahrah Almira Gigi & Influencer, gave an explanation of how to brush the right teeth at the 'HKGN 2025 Commemoration - Indonesia's Strong Generation Action' organized by Formula.

"The movement is from the top to the bottom. The bottom one is from the bottom up. After brushing the front teeth, then we will brush the side of the teeth. Want to right first or left first, it's up to you," said the doctor who is familiarly called Rara, when met at Jayabaya University, Jakarta, on Friday, September 12, 2025.

According to him, blocking should not be as long as it is rubbed hard. The front teeth should be cleaned with a small twist movement, then proceed to the side.

"We brush it round, we turn around, after that it rotates around. If we have cleaned the front, we will open the right and left sides of the mouth," he explained.

After that, the inside of the teeth also needs to be considered because they often escape cleaning.

"When the mouth is opened, we clean the inside. Clean the inner teeth, clean back and forth. Right teeth, left teeth, right top and left top," added Drg. Rara.

No less important, the back teeth and tongue must also be cleaned so that bacteria do not accumulate.

"I have cleaned the back, don't forget to clean the inside. Gigi also has the inside too, this must also be brushed until it is clean," he said.

"If all the surfaces of the teeth have been brushed, finally brush the mouth. We will brush them from the inside and pull them out up to three times, then immediately mouth up," he continued.

Although public awareness to brush teeth has increased, the problem of dental and oral health is still a big challenge.

Data from Riskesdas 2023 records that 72.5% of Indonesia's population has brushed their teeth twice a day. However, 56.9% of them still experience tooth and mouth problems, and only 11.2% have received professional medical treatment.

This condition shows the importance of educating correctly to brush teeth as well as access to equitable dental health services for the entire community.

As a form of concern for public dental health, Formula has again held a social campaign in the context of 40 years of its work in Indonesia.

"For 40 years, Formula has been part of the journey of Indonesian families. We believe that the strength of a generation starts from a healthy family. Through the 'Indonesian Strong Generation Formula Action', we want to invite the community together to build the habit of maintaining dental and oral health as a small step towards a stronger future for the nation," said Jenifer Fransisca, Managing Director of Formula.

Formula also affirms its commitment through collaboration with the International College of Dentists (ICD), the Disability Foundation, and local governments.

"This is a series of 4th years of collaboration with various parties to carry out social actions. Because it coincides with 40 years from Formula, we raise the theme of Indonesia's strong generation because it has served across generations. Starting from parents to going down to their children," explained Jenifer.

Apart from Jayabaya University, Formula will continue its action to 40 points in other areas throughout Indonesia, from Aceh to Papua. Thousands of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and basic food packages will be distributed free of charge as a form of concern for the health of Indonesian families.

One of the activities that attract attention is 'Eggsperiment' interactive education. Formula uses egg shells as a learning medium because it contains calcium that is similar to human teeth.

With this experiment, Formula shows how System Protective Layer (SPL) technology is able to protect enamel from acid attacks. As a result, the shell of Formula-protected eggs is shown to be more resistant to erode, providing clear evidence of optimal dental protection.