Brushing your teeth is very important because it whiten your teeth and it is important for good hygiene as well. White teeth enhance your confidence to smile in front of your colleagues, your mates or even in front of strangers. But this is not the only use of brushing your teeth, it is equally important for your overall health. It helps to remove plaque. Plaque is a thin bacteria that stick to your teeth and creates cavities and gum diseases. If you will ignore it for long period, then it might lead to tooth decay and eventually your teeth will start falling. You should brush your teeth twice a day at least for two minutes to remove plaque and to prevent tooth decay.
Steps to Brush Your Teeth Properly:
1.) Use Good Toothbrush to Brush Your Teeth
Choosing good toothbrush is your first step. Purchase toothbrush with soft nylon bristles because they work efficiently to remove plaque and debris from your teeth. Nylon bristles toothbrush don’t irritate your gums or dissipate tooth enamel like hard bristle brushes tends to do. The toothbrush should also fit comfortably in your hand and should have a small head to reach the corner of your teeth. If you are facing difficulty to fit the toothbrush in your mouth then it is probably too big.
An electric toothbrush is a great choice if you are lazy brusher. Electric toothbrush could encourage you to spend more time with your teeth. You can also do a good job with your manual toothbrush, all you need to know some technique. The best way to brush teeth is use a manual toothbrush in the morning and use an electric toothbrush at night. Avoid natural bristle toothbrush because they made from animal hair. They can harbor bacteria and must be replaced frequently.
2.) Replace Toothbrush Frequently
Visual inspection of the toothbrush is much more important than the usual time. You should change your brush when its bristles start shedding and loose their flexibility, effectiveness, and their shape. Usually, you should purchase a new toothbrush in every 3 to 4 months. You can also buy a toothbrush whose handles will change color. In 3 to 4 month bristles become sharp and hard due to friction and can cause your gums to bleed.
You should cover the head of a toothbrush after using it. This is because research has found that thousand of microbes can stick to your toothbrush and cause infection. Always rinse your brush with warm water before using it and try to cover your brush.
3.) Use Fluoride Toothpaste to Brush Your Teeth
Fluoride toothpaste not only helps to remove plaque but it also helps to strengthen tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is one of the four major tissues and the strong substance in the body, even more than your bones. That make up the tooth in humans and many other animals, including some species of fish. It acts as a barrier to protect your teeth. However, you should not swallow fluoride toothpaste because it can cause a serious health problem. Children under the age of three are not allowed to use fluoride toothpaste.
Different ingredient targets different problem. Toothpaste made from potassium and strontium chloride helps to reduce tooth sensitivity. Pyrophosphates, zinc sulfate and triclosan help to reduce a build up of the hardened plague called tartar. Triclosan and stannous fluoride help to reduce a mild inflammation and gingivitis of the gum tissue. Many varieties of toothpaste are available in the market which targets your main problem including tartar, gum problem, sensitive teeth and gums, stained teeth. Go for the toothpaste, the one suits you best and ask your dentist or hygienist for advice.
4.) Use Dental Floss After Brushing your Teeth
Flossing your teeth as important as brushing your teeth. It helps to remove build up plaque, bacteria and mainly food particles that get trapped between your teeth. Food decay in between your teeth is mainly responsible for all the problem. Toothbrush bristles are not able to reach and clean all the part of your teeth even with the up and down movement motion. Always try to floss before brushing your teeth so that any food particle or bacteria that comes loose while flossing. Then all the bacteria and food particle will get remove during brushing your teeth.
Floss gently because it can cause irritation to your sensitive gum if you will use it hard. Cover whole area and follow the curve of each tooth. If you find it awkward to use floss or have braces, instead of floss you can also use a toothpick. Toothpick will help you to achieve that result.
5.) Use Small Amount of Toothpaste to Brush Your Teeth
To brush your teeth use a small amount of toothpaste which should be pea- sized amount of toothpaste on your brush. Using too much toothpaste can cause over- foaming which will crave to spit and finish too early. You will not be able to hold that suds for too long. Using too much toothpaste is also a waste of paste and money, your toothpaste will get finish early. It also increases the risk of ingesting more fluoride in your body which is very unhealthy. Too much paste will not help you to clean your teeth faster. A small amount of paste will work same as a large amount of paste.
If brushing is painful for you, gently use your brush with accurate up- down motion. You can also switch to a toothpaste made for sensitive teeth.
6.) Spend at least Three Minutes While Brushing
Time is not the only thing which matters, angle also matters a lot. Set your bristle at the angle of 45 degrees at the gum line. Gently brush with short, vertical, horizontal or circular motion. The best way to learn is to ask your dentist or hygienist to teach you a correct technique.
Time is also very important when it comes to brushing your teeth, spend at least 2 to 3 minutes brushing. You can divide your mouth into four parts. Top right, bottom right, top left and bottom left. If you will spend 30 seconds on each part, you will able to spend two minutes of brushing. You can manage your time according to your comfort. You can start from wherever you want. If you get bored while brushing, you can brush your teeth while watching television, listening and singing songs. That’s how you will spend more time in brushing without even knowing.
7.) Brush Your Molar
Molars are the important part because you chew your whole food from a molar. Position your toothbrush in such a way that it is perpendicular to your lips. Work the toothbrush in and out motion. Then complete this by doing a rational movement of the brush. Repeat this movement to all the molar present in your mouth. To access outside molar, swing your brush from upper to lower and lower to upper. This technique will help to clean the bacteria and left out food particles.
8.) Brush Inner Surface
Dentist report that the inner area of the lower teeth is the most commonly skipped area. So be sure not to forget that area. Use your toothbrush in such a way that the tip of the toothbrush is pointed toward your gum line. Move toothbrush in and out motion so that it properly get clear. Check that your mouth is opened wide enough so it will allow to get a correct vertical angle to reach an edge of gum.
When you finish your brushing don’t forget to brush your tongue. Use the bristle of your toothbrush to clean your tongue. Gently clean the tongue with a toothbrush because the tongue is sensitive so that you will damage the tissue. This will keep you to keep away from bad breath and get rid of bacteria on your tongue.
9.) Rinse out the Mouth
Rinse your mouth if you want to rinse it after brushing. Take a sip of water from the cup and you can also take water in your palm. Swish it around your mouth and then spit it out. There is some debate on this recommendation. Some people believe that it reduces the effect of fluoride, or other believe that no fluoride is ingested. But if you are at higher risk of a cavity, it could be beneficial not to rinse or rinse with just a small amount of water. Studies have shown that rinsing after brushing doesn’t impact on the effect of brushing with fluoride toothpaste.
10.) Use Mouthwash or Saltwater
Take a sip of mouthwash it will prevent you from bad breath for too long. Swish it about 30 to 40 second in your mouth, then spit it out. You can also use saltwater, it will help to kill the bad bacteria in your mouth. There is a rumor spreading all over, that saltwater can erode your teeth, but don’t use it too often. You can also try chlorhexidine mouth for the complete antibacterial protection. But don’t use it longer than two-week, give some gap, then you can again use it.