Oral hygiene is paramount for good health as the state of your mouth could affect the rest of your body. That being said, many of us do the required twice a day brushing and flossing. However, if you don’t utilize the right technique, then your efforts may not be so effective at keeping plaque and other tooth infections at bay. Keep these tips and instructions from Dr. Mostashiri at Smiles For Sunnyvale in mind next time you’re giving your pearly whites a good brushing.
How To Brush Properly
You may brush at morning and at night, but if you do a quick swipe of your teeth with your brush and think you’re done, think again. Many people would be surprised to learn that if you’re not brushing for at least 2 minutes, you’re not doing it correctly. Most families don’t take that long. If needed, use a stopwatch and time yourself until you get into the habit of taking 120 seconds to clean your teeth.
Use short strokes and brush gently. Avoid using hard bristle brushes as they may do more damage than good. Your gum line is where food debris tends to get stuck and hidden and if we only concentrate on our teeth and ignore our gums, it may cause bacteria to happily multiply and cause problems later. Brushing at a 45 degree angle will give you the best results. Sweep or roll your toothbrush away from your gum line.
Pay attention to the hard to reach areas like the back of your mouth. Those teeth tend to be forgotten in our daily routine and those wisdom teeth are tougher than most, which means you could be in a world of pain later. If you have any dental work done, like crowns, fillings and more, pay close attention to those areas. They are vulnerable to plaque buildup and infections.
Brush the outer areas of your upper teeth, and then continue cleaning the lower teeth. Do the same with the inside areas of your upper and lower teeth. Make sure you do not forget your tongue and inner cheeks to enjoy fresher breath.
How to Floss Properly
Flossing helps to remove food debris which cannot be easily accessed by a toothbrush so it is important that you floss before bedtime daily to avoid plaque build up.
Take around 18 inches of floss and wrap it both ends around your middle fingers until you have only an inch or two free to floss with. Holding the floss tightly between your thumb and index fingers, make a gentle sliding movement between your teeth. Make sure you go beneath the gum line, but don’t stress the floss as this may damage the gum tissue which is very delicate. Gently curving the floss wire about the tooth base, clear any debris and repeat for each tooth until all is clean. Of course, avoid re-using the used floss bits to get a good and thorough clean.
Nothing can replace a good check up from your dental care provider, although if you follow the mentioned techniques properly, you may enjoy a healthy mouth for a long time.