Are you brushing your teeth wrong?

South Africa’s oral health is in crisis. Gum disease affects up to 90% of adults, yet many are brushing the wrong way. Fitness presenter and mental fitness coach Liezel van der Westhuizen joins the conversation with Africa Melane to unpack the Ivo health & GUM Better Brushing campaign

Early Breakfast with Africa Melane is 702’s and CapeTalk’s early morning talk show. Experienced broadcaster Africa Melane brings you the early morning news, sports, business, and interviews politicians and analysts to help make sense of the world. He also enjoys chatting to guests in the lifestyle sphere and the Arts. All the interviews are podcasted for you to catch-up and listen. 
 
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to your new day.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
This is early Breakfast with Africa, my Lani.

Speaker 3 (00:06):
These aresen Adves days and joining us in studio. Now,
I'm going to be very conscious now, Liesel, because you're
going to be answering the question of whether or not
we are brushing our teeth properly.

Speaker 4 (00:16):
Good morning, Good morning Africa. That is the question to
ask you. Are you brushing your teeth properly? And I think,
now I've just brushed my teeth because I've just walked in.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Did I brush properly?

Speaker 4 (00:26):
Because so often, first of all, so often we're not
really fully present when we brush our teeth because we're
always brushing and already thinking about what we're going to
talk about in terms of the piece that we're talking about,
even though it's prepped. But my mind, instead of just
focusing and being present and brushing my teeth, my mind
is already wandering ahead.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
So I'm going I know.

Speaker 4 (00:46):
I brushed my teeth because I can taste it, But
do you physically remember brushing your teeth? So great tip
for just getting grounded for the day where you don't
have to go and sit and meditate. You don't have
to go and sit and do anything get grounded by
brushing your teeth and actually feeling the sensations of your bristles,
feeling everything in between. You know, as you put the

(01:08):
toothpaste into your onto your toothbrush being fully present. That's
a great reset for for your day or a mental recharge,
and at the end of the day you're brushing your
teeth again. Great moments are just mentally recharge.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
How should we be doing it correctly?

Speaker 4 (01:21):
Well, I thought, I get hold of an oral hygienist
and denbl is yet to tell us more.

Speaker 5 (01:27):
Hi, I'm then Aur, a hygienist and oral care advisor
for our health. Here's a question for you. Are you
brushing your teeth the right way? Most such Africans think
they are, but research and what we see in the
dental practice shows that many of us are getting it wrong.

(01:48):
Using a brush with heard bristles, brushing too hard or
missing tricky spots can cause bleeding, gums, decay, and even
contribute to health problems like heart disease and diabetes. That's
why we've launched a Better Brushing campaign with Gum to
help you protect your smile and your health. The secret

(02:09):
use a toothbrush with ultrasoft taped bristles like the gum
Pro Sensitive to clean gently under the gum line, or
if you need extra help, try the Bileen dual sided
brush all the Oak Clean ex Ultrasonic toothbrush which gives
you real time feedback on your brushing technique. Want to

(02:31):
see how your brushing stacks up, visit the Better Brushing
hub at Ivorhuth dot Co, dot Za, Forward Slash, Better
Hyphen Brushing for expert tips, product guides and advice for
every age and stage. Follow Iver Health and Gum South

(02:51):
Africa on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Speaker 4 (02:56):
That's our hygienis Drnachlobla just telling us some tips and
advice on how we're brushing our teeth incorrectly. Twenty twenty
five South African dental survey revealed two percent of people
cited per oral hygiene as the main cause of bad breath.
The other thing is gum disease is linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's,

(03:18):
respiratory illnesses and even per arthritis. So it's really important
to make sure that we take care of our gums.
And just two minutes, as you mentioned of focused correct
Brushing twice daily can be your basic endurance run, settling
that foundation for overall well being. Not only you're doing
gum wellbeing, but you're doing your mental health as well
by being focused and present.

Speaker 3 (03:40):
Equally important, by the way, is a brush that you use.
Often we decide on the brush as a factor of cost, yes,
as opposed to and I'm not saying necessarily the more
expensive brushes are better for you than the cheaper pressers.
It's actually about the bristles, hardness of the bristles, and
the newness of them. Because I don't know how long

(04:01):
it takes you to dispose of it to the brush.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
I can't remember if it's six weeks or or not.

Speaker 4 (04:06):
That I do have actually in my diary, I have
a notification that comes up on my calendar. Yes brush,
Someone needs to correct me and tell me is it
six six weeks or three months?

Speaker 2 (04:16):
I can't. I think it's three months weeks.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Just I mean unless you.

Speaker 4 (04:19):
Are wait, someone out there is going to come back
and go Africa. You know nothing about oral hygiene, of course, yes,
so please correct us. Can we have someone that tells
us to correct.

Speaker 3 (04:32):
Because for me, I look at the brush and if
it's starting to go a little bit wonky in shape.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
That's a sign for me that.

Speaker 4 (04:41):
I and and as the oral hygienis said, and don't
go for the two hard brushes either, which I always
thought the harder or the more medium you'd get a
better brush. But go for something that's a little bit gentle.
But you know, and if you go to your your dancers,
your oral hygienis. Even if you go to your your
ca answers. In the supermarkets where you're buying your toothbrush,

(05:02):
they're always on a weekend.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Is is someone doing a promo?

Speaker 4 (05:05):
Go and ask advice there and do your research when
it comes to your toothbrush and what would work for
you because it's not a one size fits all and
it's not a one mouth fits all.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah, people are wondering why are we talking about brushing
our teeth in a fitness feature?

Speaker 1 (05:19):
It is a fitness and health feature.

Speaker 4 (05:21):
Yes, it's a fitness, wellness and health feature. And remember
your your fitness and your health comes down to everything.
I mean, we even spoke about I can't remember you.
We we were talking about people not washing behind their ears,
and the WhatsApp line went, why why are we teaching
people basic hygiene, and then other people went, well, you're
actually right, but it was quite a big thing just
to survey knowing that ninety two percent of us have

(05:42):
poor oral hygiene, eighty seven have gum disease. So we're
underestimating how vital brushing is and what it can lead to,
what else it can lead to.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
So it's not just your mouth. It affects your whole body.

Speaker 4 (05:55):
That affects your whole system. And I keep coming back
to the mental health and the brain side of it
as well. We're rushing through these things to get through
our day, and we're not even doing it at full
to ninety seconds or two minutes. I mean, nowadays you
even get tooth brushes that go to stick to your bluetooth.
You can watch how long you're brushing for or it
even switches off after two minutes, or you can extend that.

(06:17):
So we are not None of us are brushing the
full ninety seconds or two minutes. None of us are
really focused with that, and it leads to various other factors.
So it's really really vital that we take a look.
Gum disease is the second most common prevalent health issue
after the common cold in South Africa ninety percent of
the population, and things like how the gum disease very

(06:40):
very prevalent and spread and it leads to other things
not isolated, so it can lead to some other things
as well. So it really is important and our future
isn't just fitness, it's fitness, health and wellness. So I
get an email asking how do we brush our teeth?
Then go down the rabbit hole and look at these things.
So this actually came from an email while back on

(07:01):
on dental hygiene, and I thought, well, what a great
email to answer and to get an expert advice.

Speaker 3 (07:06):
One day, we'll need to have a conversation about the
whiteness of the teeth because a lot of people often
undertake painful chemical procedures to enjoy that glistening white teeth,
which our teeth are not designed to be.

Speaker 2 (07:21):
That is a big thing.

Speaker 4 (07:22):
And I'm none of us, neither you or not I
know anything about teeth whitening, so we're not going to
give advice on that. But I'm sure if it's that painful,
you shouldn't be doing it, as with any workouts.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
No, look, I suppose the advertising for toothpastes and teeth
cleaners and all of that. You know promised this bright
white smile and enamel is not white exactly. Do you
know what I mean? Doesn't have to be dirty. I'm

(07:52):
not suggesting that at all. If you smoker a coffee drink, obviously.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Any series of color the mint add food.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
It's literally color your teeth.

Speaker 3 (08:00):
And there are things we can do to to help
with the discoloring.

Speaker 1 (08:04):
But I've also seen just bright bright wait teeth.

Speaker 4 (08:08):
Oh, those beautiful bright teeth. And I'll go how they're
so beautiful? And how often are you bright? I've got
a friend that brightens every three.

Speaker 1 (08:14):
Months, every three months.

Speaker 4 (08:15):
Yes, yes, I have no idea. Now we've got we're
going down another rabbit hole. And you know that when
did I leave here? I'm going to go restart researching
this and in a week or two I'll have the
answer for us. Please do it, but take notes of
how you're brushing your teeth. Be kind to yourself. If
you're not doing it properly, just start slowly switched to
a gentle gum friendly brush. Consistency is key and self

(08:38):
care equal strength. So curing for your gums isn't just vanity.
It's an investment in your health, in your confidence, in
your performance, and in your resilience. So starts with smart
brushing techniques, soft angles, soft bristles, and attention to detail.

Speaker 1 (08:51):
That counts little. Thank you very much. What are we
chatting about tomorrow?

Speaker 2 (08:54):
Oh? A question I got at the gym last week?

Speaker 4 (08:56):
Why do we rest so much between workout sets when
we do weights?

Speaker 1 (09:01):
And because your muscles need to recover If that's the.

Speaker 4 (09:04):
First question, but to now, how long should we be recovering?
So I've got the great science research just come out
the last six months which we will chat about and
to answer the person who was next to me in
the gym, Klass saying why do we rest so much
between sets? Because your muscles need time to recover. But
we'll find out more of the science behind that and
what's the correct time to be resting.

Speaker 3 (09:22):
Fantastic Lisa, looking forward to it. Lisa fund Avestas and
shotting us tomorrow morning.