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CNN Live Today

Interview with Dr. Mollie Winston

Aired January 15, 2003 - 11:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We are brushing up on dental hygiene in our "Daily Dose" of healthy news this morning.
Are some kinds of toothbrushes better at cleaning your teeth than others are? Well, a report by a nonprofit research group says yes.

And for more on the study and on the results, let's check in now with our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, who's live now at a dentist's office right here in Atlanta -- hey, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Leon, this is one time that it's fun to be in a dental office. This study looked at 2,500 people and it asked the question, which kind of toothbrush is best, and we're here with dentist Mollie Winston -- good morning.

DR. MOLLIE WINSTON, DENTIST: Good morning.

COHEN: And she's going to tell us, what were the top contenders for best toothbrush?

WINSTON: Well, Elizabeth, the top contenders were the type of toothbrush that shakes and pulsates, or the type that rotates. We have several of these here today...

COHEN: So what does this one do here?

WINSTON: This one actually just oscillates, or just shakes.

COHEN: Why don't we turn that on and see what it does. So that one just shakes back and forth.

(CROSSTALK)

WINSTON: It just goes back and forth. Exactly. Now, the winner of the study appeared to be this type of toothbrush that both shakes and pulsates and goes in a rotary position like this.

COHEN: So this one not only shakes back and forth, but it goes around.

WINSTON: Exactly. And that appeared to be the real dramatic results from the study, so we don't know. We will follow them up closely, but it pulsates, it shakes, and it rotates. The study showed that it had a marked decrease, an 11 percent decrease, in plaque in patients, as well as a 17 percent decrease in gum bleeding.

COHEN: So decrease in both plaque and in gum bleeding. WINSTON: Exactly.

COHEN: Good things.

WINSTON: Very good.

COHEN: Now, the other ones weren't terrible, right?

WINSTON: No, not whatsoever, and we also know -- and we want to stress this to patients -- that by using manual toothbrushes, if you use them correctly, and then you use them for an adequate amount of time, you're going to benefit yourself, and we prefer them to do that and have adequate checkups more than anything, but what the study does seem to show is that this type of toothbrush that both shakes and rotates seems to have a profound effect on your plaque indices.

COHEN: So if a patient says to you, Dr. Winston, I don't want to use a power toothbrush. I don't like the feel of it. I don't want to dish out the money. I want to use a plain old regular manual toothbrush. What would you say?

WINSTON: I would say that's the best thing you could tell me. To have a manual toothbrush, to use it correctly, to use it from two to three minutes in the morning and the afternoon is the best thing you could do for yourself. I would also like to stress to them, though, that probably the best thing they could be using is to use their floss.

COHEN: If you're stuck on a deserted island, what would you want to bring with you?

WINSTON: I would absolutely say, if a patient had one thing they could take with them, to take their floss. That's the best thing you could be using.

COHEN: Just their floss. OK. Why don't you show me -- you mentioned that positioning is very important in how you brush. Show me -- what is the best way to brush?

WINSTON: Probably the most important thing we want to show to patients is that how they use it is as important as actually using it. You want to make sure that you're utilizing it on every tooth surface as well as stimulating the gum, and using it on each surface of the tooth.

So let's show you here. We are going to show on the central incisor here just coming along. We want to use it in a rotational and upwards and downwards motion, using all of the gum tissue, and really stimulating that.

COHEN: So you're going tooth by tooth, and you are going up and down.

WINSTON: You want to try -- especially utilizing a manual toothbrush, you want to make sure that you're trying to always go in a more upward-downward motion. To go be going backward and forth can cause more abrasion and actual damage on the gum.

But when you're using a power toothbrush, it's not as essential to think about that upward-downward motion, because the toothbrush is going to be doing it. That is the benefit of it. You don't have to kind of think. If you get it in the right position, and you are using it with the right placement, it's going to do the work for you, so if you're putting it right, and you are using it for two to three minutes, that's the best thing we could say.

COHEN: So this kind of thing you see people doing...

WINSTON: Is not good.

COHEN: Not good. OK.

WINSTON: Absolutely not good, because by using that, you're going to cause abrasion on the gum and abrasion on the tooth, and you can break down the enamel surface, especially if you're really getting in there with a hard toothbrush.

We've always shown that the biggest damager of teeth is a harsh toothbrush, so you want to make sure, if you're using a soft -- a manual toothbrush, you're using the softest one available and using it more in an upward-down rotational motion.

COHEN: Great. Well, Dr. Winston, thank you. Bottom line then is you want to get a toothbrush that's power, that goes around in a circle and shakes, but if you don't want to use it, that's OK. The most important thing is two to three minutes in the morning, two to three minutes in the evening. Go tooth by tooth up and down, not side to side -- Leon, did you get that all in there?

HARRIS: Yes, I got it, I got it. As a matter of fact, I got one of those toothbrushes that the doctor picked up too. In fact, the first one she picked up there, I believe.

COHEN: OK.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask you about this. The reason why I picked that one was because it had a specific guarantee about gingivitis about actually reversing it. What does the doctor think about that, and if any toothbrush, and kind, whether it's a power or regular one can actually do that?

COHEN: Can -- Leon want to know, can any toothbrush actually reverse gingivitis once you already have it?

WINSTON: What we are hoping is from this study, that's what this may be showing, if it has an 11 percent decrease in gingivitis. We may not be able to reverse it unless you go get a good checkup and an initial good cleaning by your dentist, but you may be able to maintain that once the dentist reverses it. So it is absolutely reversible. You need to get good dental hygiene care, and average -- random checkups every six months, and this toothbrush may be able to maintain it at a maintainable level, once it's reversed.

COHEN: OK. Well, thanks. Leon, there's hope for your gums yet. This just in.

HARRIS: OK. Thank you, that's just what I wanted to hear.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 15, 2003 - 11:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We are brushing up on dental hygiene in our "Daily Dose" of healthy news this morning.
Are some kinds of toothbrushes better at cleaning your teeth than others are? Well, a report by a nonprofit research group says yes.

And for more on the study and on the results, let's check in now with our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, who's live now at a dentist's office right here in Atlanta -- hey, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Leon, this is one time that it's fun to be in a dental office. This study looked at 2,500 people and it asked the question, which kind of toothbrush is best, and we're here with dentist Mollie Winston -- good morning.

DR. MOLLIE WINSTON, DENTIST: Good morning.

COHEN: And she's going to tell us, what were the top contenders for best toothbrush?

WINSTON: Well, Elizabeth, the top contenders were the type of toothbrush that shakes and pulsates, or the type that rotates. We have several of these here today...

COHEN: So what does this one do here?

WINSTON: This one actually just oscillates, or just shakes.

COHEN: Why don't we turn that on and see what it does. So that one just shakes back and forth.

(CROSSTALK)

WINSTON: It just goes back and forth. Exactly. Now, the winner of the study appeared to be this type of toothbrush that both shakes and pulsates and goes in a rotary position like this.

COHEN: So this one not only shakes back and forth, but it goes around.

WINSTON: Exactly. And that appeared to be the real dramatic results from the study, so we don't know. We will follow them up closely, but it pulsates, it shakes, and it rotates. The study showed that it had a marked decrease, an 11 percent decrease, in plaque in patients, as well as a 17 percent decrease in gum bleeding.

COHEN: So decrease in both plaque and in gum bleeding. WINSTON: Exactly.

COHEN: Good things.

WINSTON: Very good.

COHEN: Now, the other ones weren't terrible, right?

WINSTON: No, not whatsoever, and we also know -- and we want to stress this to patients -- that by using manual toothbrushes, if you use them correctly, and then you use them for an adequate amount of time, you're going to benefit yourself, and we prefer them to do that and have adequate checkups more than anything, but what the study does seem to show is that this type of toothbrush that both shakes and rotates seems to have a profound effect on your plaque indices.

COHEN: So if a patient says to you, Dr. Winston, I don't want to use a power toothbrush. I don't like the feel of it. I don't want to dish out the money. I want to use a plain old regular manual toothbrush. What would you say?

WINSTON: I would say that's the best thing you could tell me. To have a manual toothbrush, to use it correctly, to use it from two to three minutes in the morning and the afternoon is the best thing you could do for yourself. I would also like to stress to them, though, that probably the best thing they could be using is to use their floss.

COHEN: If you're stuck on a deserted island, what would you want to bring with you?

WINSTON: I would absolutely say, if a patient had one thing they could take with them, to take their floss. That's the best thing you could be using.

COHEN: Just their floss. OK. Why don't you show me -- you mentioned that positioning is very important in how you brush. Show me -- what is the best way to brush?

WINSTON: Probably the most important thing we want to show to patients is that how they use it is as important as actually using it. You want to make sure that you're utilizing it on every tooth surface as well as stimulating the gum, and using it on each surface of the tooth.

So let's show you here. We are going to show on the central incisor here just coming along. We want to use it in a rotational and upwards and downwards motion, using all of the gum tissue, and really stimulating that.

COHEN: So you're going tooth by tooth, and you are going up and down.

WINSTON: You want to try -- especially utilizing a manual toothbrush, you want to make sure that you're trying to always go in a more upward-downward motion. To go be going backward and forth can cause more abrasion and actual damage on the gum.

But when you're using a power toothbrush, it's not as essential to think about that upward-downward motion, because the toothbrush is going to be doing it. That is the benefit of it. You don't have to kind of think. If you get it in the right position, and you are using it with the right placement, it's going to do the work for you, so if you're putting it right, and you are using it for two to three minutes, that's the best thing we could say.

COHEN: So this kind of thing you see people doing...

WINSTON: Is not good.

COHEN: Not good. OK.

WINSTON: Absolutely not good, because by using that, you're going to cause abrasion on the gum and abrasion on the tooth, and you can break down the enamel surface, especially if you're really getting in there with a hard toothbrush.

We've always shown that the biggest damager of teeth is a harsh toothbrush, so you want to make sure, if you're using a soft -- a manual toothbrush, you're using the softest one available and using it more in an upward-down rotational motion.

COHEN: Great. Well, Dr. Winston, thank you. Bottom line then is you want to get a toothbrush that's power, that goes around in a circle and shakes, but if you don't want to use it, that's OK. The most important thing is two to three minutes in the morning, two to three minutes in the evening. Go tooth by tooth up and down, not side to side -- Leon, did you get that all in there?

HARRIS: Yes, I got it, I got it. As a matter of fact, I got one of those toothbrushes that the doctor picked up too. In fact, the first one she picked up there, I believe.

COHEN: OK.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask you about this. The reason why I picked that one was because it had a specific guarantee about gingivitis about actually reversing it. What does the doctor think about that, and if any toothbrush, and kind, whether it's a power or regular one can actually do that?

COHEN: Can -- Leon want to know, can any toothbrush actually reverse gingivitis once you already have it?

WINSTON: What we are hoping is from this study, that's what this may be showing, if it has an 11 percent decrease in gingivitis. We may not be able to reverse it unless you go get a good checkup and an initial good cleaning by your dentist, but you may be able to maintain that once the dentist reverses it. So it is absolutely reversible. You need to get good dental hygiene care, and average -- random checkups every six months, and this toothbrush may be able to maintain it at a maintainable level, once it's reversed.

COHEN: OK. Well, thanks. Leon, there's hope for your gums yet. This just in.

HARRIS: OK. Thank you, that's just what I wanted to hear.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com