Easy Steps to Ensure You Are Brushing Your Teeth Properly

There are a number of important things you should be doing to ensure you carry out a good oral health routine at home. One of them is how and what you use to brush your teeth.

I am always telling patients how important brushing really is and you need to brush twice daily for two minutes a time to ensure you reach all your teeth and all the hard to reach places, removing all the plaque and reducing the risk of tartar build up, dental cavities and more.

The first thing you need to do is ensure you are using a good quality fluoride toothpaste. Go through the ingredients of the toothpaste and ensure it includes fluoride, which can help protect your teeth between brushes.

The next step is to choose the right toothbrush. Whether you choose electric or manual is down to personal preference, but ensure you choose a soft bristle brush, which is not going to damage your teeth in the long run.

Remember to rinse your toothbrush before use and after use to remove any unwelcome bacteria which may try and cling to the bristles. Further, it is just important to ensure that you replace your toothbrush every three months, earlier if you are suffering from gum disease.

I cannot stress enough how important it is that you brush your teeth right before bed time. Brushing last thing at night can reduce the risk of bacteria settling on your teeth as you sleep, causing havoc in your mouth.

The two minutes you take to brush your teeth gives you thirty seconds per section. It can be difficult to count out two minutes for brushing, I always recommend my patients keep a timer in their bathroom and set it for two minutes when they start and keep brushing until the alarm goes off, this way you can enjoy peace of mind that you are brushing your teeth properly, concentrating on each tooth to ensure you eradicate the plaque and bacteria from your mouth each time you brush.

Next thing is to remember to brush your tongue. Not many people brush their tongue when brushing their teeth, but your tongue also harbours bacteria and it touches your teeth regularly.

Finally, the last step to brushing your teeth properly is to not rinse thoroughly with water once you have finished brushing. Rather spit out the excess toothpaste and leave the rest to stay on the teeth for as long as possible.