I was making the usual excuses around my lack of flossing at my last dental appointment when my hygienist, out of the blue, dropped a “you’re right handed, aren’t you?,” on me.

Now, granted she had more than a 70% chance of being correct, but I was still stunned. How did she know just from looking in my mouth?

The answer is all in how you brush your teeth and what it does to your gum line.

Grab a pen or pencil or some toothbrush like thing that you have near you and mime the brushing sequence. Whichever is your dominant hand will likely grab the toothbrush first and, if you`re like me, will start a piston pushing sequence along the opposite side of your mouth.

For example, when I brush my teeth, I immediately pound on the left side of my mouth with the brush in my right hand. I give the right side and front a cursory glance but, because the motion is uncomfortable, I soon find myself pistoning my left gum line again.

And that`s not a good thing.

Because of my hard motions, and dominant hand brushing technique, I`ve eroded the gums on the left side of my mouth. When I have ice cream, it`s more sensitive than it should be and I can feel a twinge of pain from an exposed root if I run a finger nail along the gum line on the left side of my mouth.

Toothbrushing: I`m doing it wrong.

Never mind my feeble excuses for my flossing performance, it is my brushing that`s been doing serious damage to my gums for a long time.  For many visits, my hygienist has asked me to switch to a motorized toothbrush, and this summer I finally have.

The Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected is my brush of choice and I have noticed the difference immediately.

First: the device is called `connected` because it comes with a partner smartphone app that guides you through the brushing process. No more focusing on the left side while being lazy on the right and front, this app has me move around my mouth evenly.

And because the Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected has the automated moving head, I don`t have to press or push or pull or do any work. My hand simply floats as if I`m holding a magic wand moving about my mouth. I follow the instructions on the app, the toothbrush head does all the work and I end up with a cleaner mouth, without any collateral damage.

Then there’s the gamification aspect of it. Yes, we’re gamifying toothbrushing. Just like you try to hit your step count on your Fitbit, the partner app tracks your progress, let’s you set goals, and keeps you honest.

But is it working?

I`ll find out in September at my next appointment. In the meantime, take that test to  see if your dominant hand is doing damage to one side of your mouth, and look into the The Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected to solve it.

This post is sponsored by Philips

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