4 TIPS ON BRUSHING YOUR TEETH

Good oral health begins with brushing your teeth. In this smiling brightly blog we provide four tips on brushing your teeth. The goal is to make oral care easier and more effective and to do that we offer tips on proper brushing, picking the right toothbrush, flossing, and choosing the best toothpaste for your oral health. After all, a healthy smile is something we all love. Let’s get started.

4 TIPS ON BRUSHING YOUR TEETH

1.  BRUSH CORRECTLY FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS

If you ask the question, “how often should I brush my teeth?” you will get a lot of conflicting advice. We went to the American Dental Association (ADA) to get the answer. The ADA advises that people should brush their teeth twice per day for a total time of two minutes per session. It is also important to use the correct brushing technique. The ADA recommends holding your toothbrush at a 45° angle while brushing. Doing so allows the bristles of the brush to clean under the gum line, stimulates the gums, and helps to avoid the build up of plaque, cavities below the gum line, and helps to keep breath fresher. In short: Brush twice a day for two minutes using good technique.

2. USE FLOSS TO ENHANCE THE EFFECTS OF BRUSHING

Brushing helps to remove much of the residue left over from chewing and consuming foods. It is the primary, and very important, step in maintaining good oral health. However, brushing cannot get to every nook and cranny in our mouth. To reach into places where the bristles of a toothbrush cannot we use floss. Flossing before brushing helps to remove caked on debris and plaque that hides in spaces that are not accessible by a brush. Following flossing with brushing, helps to remove all of the bits that flossing loosens but cannot completely remove. Floss helps to keep certain areas of our mouth cleaner and in the process helps to reduce the deposition of plaque and to prevent the formation of cavities. In short, clean hard to reach spots with floss. TIP: You can increase the effectiveness of both brushing and floss by adding a mouthwash step to this process.

3. CHOOSE ORAL HEALTH TOOLS THAT MAKE YOUR JOB EASIER

The primary tool that everyone should use is their toothbrush. The right toothbrush is a soft bristled brush. Toothbrushes come in soft, medium, and hard but the ADA recommends a soft bristled toothbrush. Medium and hard bristled brushes can remove enamel from your teeth with prolonged usage. Electronic toothbrushes are also a viable option as a tool to help keep your smile bright. There are several brands available. In terms of floss, the ADA recommends floss that is waxed as it is easier to place between teeth. They also recommend other flossing tools such as micro brushes, and flossing sticks. While tools are important to helping you clean your mouth, it is still important that you actually spend the time to do so. So one of the most important tools for good oral health might actually be your clock. Make sure to set the timer for two minutes and your calendar reminder if needed to remind you to brush. As a last TIP: remember that tools are good, but that they wear out too. So be sure to replace your toothbrush every three months and other tools as needed.

4. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TOOTHPASTE

When it comes to choosing toothpaste there are a lot of choices. What is important is that you choose a toothpaste that is approved by the ADA. The ADA looks at the ingredients of toothpaste to make sure that they are not too abrasive. They also look to make sure the toothpaste contains the correct amount of fluoride. There is specialty toothpaste that helps to improve oral health and is designed to work with specific dental issues. Those include toothpaste for tartar control, sensitive teeth, whitening, and oral health. The takeaway here is that choosing the right toothpaste can be confusing. To help with that just look for the ADA seal and then pick a brand of toothpaste that fits your dental health goals. These four tips help you to establish healthy oral habits that keep your teeth in top shape. The trick to beautiful teeth really comes down to learning to brush properly and using the correct tools that not only improve your oral health but also help encourage you to brush regularly.