BASS METHOD

or Sulcular Vibration Brushing or 45 Degree Angle the Bass Tooth Brushing Technique

The Bass Method or Sulcular Vibration Brushing or 45 Degree Angle the Bass Tooth Brushing Technique is a very effective method for germs or plaque removal next to and directly below the gum or gingival margin. The area at the gum-tooth margin is the most significant in the prevention of tooth decay, gum disease.

Dr. Bass also designed the "Right Kind" multi-tufted toothbrush with tufts are spaced closely to provide a smooth, narrow, compact and flat brushing plane. Similar toothbrush is still offered today.

Around this time, a Mississippi physician named Charles Cassidy Bass began to suggest that people did not just lose their teeth because they were getting old. He pointed up that if one worked hard to keep the area of the tooth at and below the gum clean and free of germs or bacteria, even the elderly could keep their teeth.

Dr. Bass proposed placing your toothbrush partly on the tooth and partly on the gum with the toothbrush bristles angled toward the gums. As you vibrated the toothbrush back and forth, the tips of the bristles slid below the gums to clean off plaque bacteria or germs below the gum or gingival margin.

The “Father of Dental Hygiene,” Dr. Charles C. Bass who said:

• “You must clean your teeth right with the right kind of tooth brush and dental floss every night before retiring.”
• "A clean tooth does not decay. Periodontoclasia does not occur about a clean tooth."

The Bass Method: Purposes and Indications

• For all patients for germs or bacterial plaque removal next to and directly below the gum or gingival margin.
• For open between-teeth spaces and exposed root surfaces with gum disease.
• For the patients who has had periodontal (gum) surgery.
• For adaptation to Tooth Crowns, Dental Bridges, Braces, and Implants

The Bass Method: Technique

The Bass Method: Position the Toothbrush

• Direct the nylon filaments apically (up for maxillary, down for mandibular teeth) at a 45-degree angle. It is usually easier and safer if you first place the brush parallel with the long axis of the tooth.
• From that position the brush can be turned slightly and brought down to the gingival margin to the 45-degree angle.

The Bass Method: Angle the Filaments at Gum-Tooth Margin

• Place the soft toothbrush or ultra-soft toothbrush with flat brushing plane and rounded nylon filament tips directed straight into the gingival sulcus or gingival margin.
• The filaments will be directed at approximately 45 degrees to the long axis of the tooth.

The Bass Method: Strokes

• Press lightly without flexing and bending the filaments.
• Nylon filament tips will enter the gingival sulci at gum-tooth border and cover the gum margin.
• Vibrate the toothbrush back and forth with very short strokes without disengaging the nylon tips of the filaments from the gum margin. Count at least 10 vibrations.
• Reposition the toothbrush and apply the brush to the next group of two or three teeth. Take care to overlap placement.
• Repeat the entire stroke at each position around the maxillary (upper jaw) and mandibular (lower jaw) arches, both for facial and lingual surfaces.

Tips and Advice on your Toothbrush

• long, wide handle for a firm grasp
• small head for easy access to all areas of the mouth, teeth and gums
• narrow, compact flat plane at the brushing surface - makes correct brushing gentle on your teeth
• soft nylon bristles with rounded ends so you won't hurt your gums

Toothbrushes should be changed:

• every three to four months before the bristles become splayed and frayed
• sick people - at the beginning of an illness and after they feel better

You should brush your teeth at least 2-3 minutes twice a day - the length of a song on the radio.

Brush outside and inside the teeth, and especially on chewing surfaces and between teeth.

Tips and Advice on your Dental Floss

• Wind an 18-inch piece of floss around your middle finger, leaving about 4-inches of floss between them
• Grasp floss firmly between thumb and index finder of each hand. Gently slide floss between teeth, using a slow sawing motion to slip between tight teeth
• Move floss up and down against tooth to clean both above and below the gum-line, curving around the tooth for best results
• Repeat cleaning procedure for each tooth. Every few teeth, move to a clean piece of floss by unwinding floss from one finger and rewinding it onto the other finger

For most patients, flossing should be used before toothbrushing.

Slide the floss to a new, unused portion for the next tooth surfaces.

Floss may be doubled to provide a wider rubbing surface. Floss holder can be helpful for a person with a disability or for a parent or caregiver.

Contact Dentist

Looking forward to hearing from you

Aleksandr V. Melekhin, DDS

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