Brushing your teeth is an important part of your daily dental care. For ideal oral health we at Cannon Family Dental recommend:
- Brush your teeth twice a day with a soft-bristled brush. The size and shape of your brush should fit your mouth allowing you to reach all areas easily.
- Replace your toothbrush every three to four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. You can bring your toothbrush to your regular dental check-ups to evaluate the condition of the bristles. Frayed bristles may mean you are brushing too hard.
- An ADA-accepted toothpaste (http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/ada-seal-products) will help you feel assured that you are getting ideal levels of topical fluoride, abrasive particles, and other ingredients that are beneficial to your teeth.
Proper brushing technique is to: check out this video demonstration of proper brushing
http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/b/brushing-your-teeth
- Angle your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle into the gums.
- Gently move the brush in a circular motion across each tooth and over the gums. Think of the motion as a tooth-gum massage. Remember that brushing too hard (manifested with frayed, smashed toothbrush bristles) can cause gum recession. I like to count 4-6 circles for each tooth.
- Brush the outer surfaces, inner surfaces, and the chewing surfaces of all teeth.
- To clean the inside surfaces of your front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and make 4-6 up-and-down strokes.
- You can brush your tongue with your toothbrush, but I do not believe cleaning your tongue with a toothbrush is nearly as effective as using a tongue scraper like the Oolitt Tongue Scraper (http://tonguescraperusa.com/). Cleaning your tongue will decrease bacterial concentration, which will leave fresher breath and decrease the risk of cavities.
I invite you to call and schedule an appointment with us at Cannon Family Dental. We love reviewing brushing, flossing, rinsing and other prevention techniques with you.
