How I devised a way to reduce missed spots while dealing with a 'meddlesome' dentist

It must have been fifteen years ago now. When I first moved here, I suddenly developed a toothache in one of my molars. In this unfamiliar place, I relied on review sites to find a dentist and booked an appointment. I hadn't been to a dentist since I had a crown fitted in college, and although it was a hassle, I felt it would be annoying to leave it alone, so I gathered my courage.

I arrived at the dentist's office in the city of Saitama at my scheduled time, and as I sat in the reclining examination chair, the director, who looked quite young, said something unexpected.

“We can start treating your tooth right away, but the prognosis (the result of the treatment) will be better if we first improve your oral environment—in other words, get your periodontal disease under control before we treat the tooth.”

I had expected to get it fixed immediately, so I looked at him with suspicion, thinking,
“Is he just saying that to make more money on treatment?”
At the same time, however, I wondered if periodontal disease was really that bad. I knew that periodontal disease was the leading cause of tooth loss. After some hesitation, I decided to go ahead with the periodontal treatment, thinking that since I had checked the box for “requesting treatment within insurance coverage” on the initial questionnaire, the costs wouldn't be too high.

After the first session of tartar removal and tooth surface cleaning, I had a consultation with a dental hygienist. It started with an explanation of the clinic's philosophy, followed by an explanation of teeth and gums.
“How many teeth do humans have in total?”
She even gave me a quiz, and when I couldn't answer, she explained it to me carefully. The quizzes gradually became more difficult, and she filled in the gaps in my knowledge.

After that, my periodontal disease and molar treatment were finished after a few visits, and just when I thought, 'Phew, now I can relax,' it happened.

The dental hygienist in charge asked,
“When would you like to schedule your next appointment?”
I wanted to minimize my involvement with the dentist as much as possible, but according to her explanation, it seems it's better to have a periodontal checkup once every three months. Well, I thought I'd go at least once, so I ended up continuing even after the toothache was gone.

In this way, a cycle was established where every time I went to the dental clinic, I would have my teeth and gum condition checked, receive a cleaning—which involves removing plaque from the gaps in the gums—and then book the next appointment. The reason this has continued for fifteen years is partly because I have a personality that finds it hard to say no, but more importantly, it's because around the time I had a few checkups, I learned about dental care on the internet.

“In Western countries, professional oral care by dental hygienists has become the norm.”

That's what the online article said. According to it, Japanese people only brush their teeth themselves, the usage rate of dental floss is low, and many people do not receive professional cleanings, leading to poor control of periodontal disease. Since periodontal disease is basically incurable, I realized that the only way to keep my teeth in good condition is to enlist the help of professionals, and that this is the same as getting a regular physical checkup for the rest of my body.

I started going for checkups and cleanings once every three months, accepting that it was necessary to make my teeth last longer, but I was troubled by the fact that they checked for missed spots every time I visited. Today, they would tell me that the molars on the upper right were not brushed well, and when I focused on brushing there, the next checkup would point out that the lower left premolars were not brushed well. It was like a game of Whac-A-Mole; there was always a missed spot somewhere. Especially, like studying for a student exam, even though I brushed carefully and used dental floss frequently for about a week before the visit, the checkup would still point out plaque left here and there or bleeding from my gums. Is my brushing sloppy? But even when I was taught how to brush and did it exactly as instructed, I still ended up with missed spots. However, it was better than it had been since I started going to the clinic. I figured it would have been much worse if I hadn't been going, so I was grateful that they checked every time, but why were there so many missed spots?

There must be a habit in how I brush. Thinking this, I tried placing the toothbrush on the spots pointed out at home. When I hold it in my right hand, I feel that the left side is difficult to brush. This is because I have to twist my wrist. If I try too hard to focus on brushing the left side, the right back side gets neglected. Is the problem the left side?

That's when it hit me. That's it, I'll brush with my left hand as well as my dominant right hand. If I do that, the number of hard-to-reach places in my mouth should decrease. With that thought, I started practicing brushing with my left hand. At first, it was difficult. I couldn't apply the toothbrush to my teeth and gums to vibrate finely with my left hand. My movements were clumsy, and I couldn't brush the teeth I was aiming for. Above all, the movements were awkward, requiring me to concentrate, and it was frustrating.

However, just like playing a sport I've never tried before, I believed that if I practiced, I would definitely be able to do it. As I continued, the difficulty of brushing with my left hand gradually decreased, and after a few weeks, I felt no discomfort holding it with either hand. Once it reached this point, I was on a roll. For example, if I brush with my right hand in the morning, I brush with my left hand at noon, and by balancing the number of times I brush with both hands, I started to feel that I had fewer missed spots. The dental hygienist also started saying,
“You've brushed very well again today.”
She praises me more often. I am shown the plaque adhesion rate that indicates missed spots every time, and the rate, which was 14 percent at its highest, has dropped to the 4 percent range. Anything under 20 percent is not bad, but it seems the lower, the better. With fewer missed spots, I also have the feeling that my mouth stays refreshed for longer.

The dental clinic I still visit today initially struck me as overly enthusiastic, or perhaps meddlesome, but I am grateful for that meddlesomeness because it is the reason I have not lost any teeth and have been able to keep my periodontal disease from worsening. Thirty minutes every three months—including the travel time to get there—takes time and effort, but I have accepted that this is necessary to continue enjoying food forever, and I intend to keep going.

～～Postscript March 20, 2025～～
This work has won a prize in the '#ForGoodTeeth' submission contest. I was surprised when I received the news of the award. I never expected to receive such a reward in addition to dental health.
I have also posted an article to commemorate the award. Please feel free to take a look at that as well.

Thank you very much for reading this far.