The Guide to Properly Brush Your Teeth

Everyone knows the importance of proper dental hygiene, but do you know if you’re properly brushing your teeth?

Toothbrush Tips

• Always brush your teeth at least twice a day, we recommend a soft-bristled brush that fits in your mouth and allows you to reach all areas of the mouth and teeth.
• Replace your toothbrush every 3 months, sooner if the bristles are worn or frayed. Using a worn toothbrush will not clean your teeth effectively.

When most patients brush their teeth, they don’t focus on a particular part of the mouth, instead they aimlessly brush all over while planning the day, or carelessly brush while trying to rush to bed. We recommend dividing your mouth up into quadrants, Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left and Bottom Right. Focus on one quadrant at a time, brushing teeth from front to back. Be sure to clean the outside surface, the inner surface and of course the chewing surface of teeth. Also remember to brush your tongue, lots of bacteria live on your tongue and can cause bad breath.

Teeth Brushing Tips

• Hold your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle.
• Move your brush back and forth in short, gentle strokes.
• Make sure to tilt the brush vertically to reach the inside surfaces of hard to reach teeth.

Although brushing is extremely important to your overall dental health, making sure you floss, eating a healthy balanced diet and scheduled routine dental appointments are all also very important to ensuring you prevent dental disease and decay.