Can you tell us who you are and what you do for a living?
“I’m Paul Govers and I am the co-owner of a dental practice in Amsterdam. I’ve been a dentist since the 80's.”
How did you hear about The Bamboo Brush Society?
“Through one of my clients Marc Brounen. I think he met with one of you guys literally five minutes before coming in for an appointment.”
Why do you support The Bamboo Brush Society?
“If you would see the amount of plastic I need to throw away for each patient… It’s ridiculous. The less plastic the better, so I love the biodegradable handle on your brush. It would be great if more products for dentists would be eco-friendly as there are no real alternatives at the moment.”
That might be something for us to think about in the future. What do you think of the Bamboo toothbrush?
“I like it so much, I use it every day.”
Why do most dentists recommend using an electronic toothbrush?
“One of the reasons is that they have a certain rotation that works better; I think this is debatable. The reason why I often advise brushing electric is because of the built-in timer. In general people don’t brush long enough. When you stand in front of the mirror and brush for 30 seconds, it seems like a long time. When in fact you need to brush at least four minutes.”
What do you recommend our readers?
“At least brush once a day, for four minutes. Maybe do it under the shower, as time seems to pass faster in there. Brush a second time at night, before you go to bed. This session may be a bit shorter.
Use a toothpick once a day and visit the dentist and dental hygienist twice a year.
* Please take into account this advice is generic and dental care requirements may vary per person.”
What about toothpaste, what would your advice be? We’ve read some bad stuff about fluoride?
You can always read bad stuff about everything the most important when it comes down to brushing your teeth is really take the time for it. Brush four minutes. As far as fluoride goes I don’t have the answer if it’s good or bad.
What about toothpaste? What’s your advice there? We’ve read some bad stuff about fluoride.
“You can find bad stuff about everything. The most important thing is to really take your time. Brush for four minutes. As far as fluoride goes, I can’t say with certainty if it’s good or bad for you.”
A totally different question to wrap it up: what’s the best spot you’ve brushed your teeth at?
“On board the Swan 80 sailing yacht. I was part of the crew when we were cruising the Seychelles.”