Dental Tips: How to Brush your Teeth

If you’re like most people, brushing your teeth properly is not a very high priority. What most people don’t realize is if you take proper care of your teeth, you can almost guarantee that you will never get a cavity again.

Here is a list of common mistakes that people make:

• Not brushing their teeth enough
• Not brushing their teeth for long enough
• Using the wrong technique
• Missing spots when they brush
• Using the wrong type of toothpaste

If you have had cavities in the past or have cavities now, you may be making one or several of these mistakes. If you do have cavities, it is necessary to get them fixed at the dentist or you are susceptible to getting more cavities.

Now, we are going to cover the proper way to brush your teeth.

Most people already know that you should brush your teeth two to three times a day for at least two minutes each time, however, few people actually do it. This part is very important because a biofilm of bacteria can form over your teeth in just a matter of hours. Brushing your teeth for the right frequency and duration is important, but now we are going to focus on using the correct technique.

In order to ensure that you don’t miss any spots, you should have a plan that you follow every time you brush. You can divide the mouth in four quadrants: top left, top right, bottom right, and bottom left. Use your toothbrush to brush these quadrants one at a time, moving in the same order every time. Start by positioning your toothbrush in the very back of your mouth on the top left with the head at a 45-degree angle.

This should put the bristles touching the top of your tooth, the outside of your tooth and coming up against your gums. Once your toothbrush is position correctly, you want to move it in a circular motion which brings your bristles up towards the gumline. Make three circles on each tooth moving from the last toward towards the front teeth. This should take you at least fifteen seconds.

Once you reach the front, reposition your toothbrush on the last tooth in that quadrant again but this time, place the head at a 45-degree angle touching the top of your tooth and the inside of your tooth, that is, the side that faces the roof of your mouth. Use the same technique as before, making three circles moving from back to front. When you reach the midline, repeat the same steps in the other three quadrants. You should spend at least 30 in each quadrant for a total of two minutes.