Remember when you were little and your mother asked, “Did you brush your teeth?” While we, of course, would never want to criticize anything your mother did, we do think she might have been asking the wrong question. The right question would have been, “Did you brush your teeth properly?” How you brush your teeth really does make a difference in the effectiveness of your at-home oral hygiene routine. With this in mind, Dr. Sam Antoon, the Plano, TX, dentist, would like to offer the following tips to help your improve your tooth brushing technique.
- Be sure to purchase a toothbrush that has soft bristles with rounded tips. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a harder brush must do a better job of cleaning your teeth. That’s not the case. In fact, a tooth brush with hard bristles is much more likely to scratch tooth enamel. If you like using an electric toothbrush that’s fine, too. Just make sure the bristle head is soft.
- Choose a fluoride toothpaste that has the American Dental Association seal of approval. Squeeze from the bottom of the tube and place a small amount of toothpaste on the brush. You really don’t need more than about a pea-sized amount to do the job.
- After wetting the brush and toothpaste, place the brush at a 45 degree angle against your teeth and gums. Where you begin doesn’t really matter as long as you move methodically around your mouth and brush all of your teeth. Concentrate on two or three teeth at a time, and brush around the outside surfaces of your teeth in a circular motion. For the biting surfaces of your molars, brush back and forth, and on the inside surfaces use an up and down motion.
- A good brushing should take at least two to three minutes. We understand that at the start of the day you’re in a hurry and at the end of the day you’re tired. But trust us—the extra time you spend properly brushing your teeth will go a long way to helping you maintain optimal oral health.
- Children need help brushing their teeth until they are about seven or eight years old. When your baby’s teeth first appear, brush with a soft baby toothbrush that is moistened with water. As more teeth erupt, you can add a tiny bit of toothpaste; wait until they’re old enough to spit before you use more. In order to get children to brush long enough, trying playing their favorite song while they brush. When the song ends, so does the brushing!
Call Our Office Today
If you have any questions about you can improve your tooth brushing technique or other general dentistry inquiries, we can help. Our Plano, TX office houses some of the best dental professionals in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and we want you to receive excellent treatment from them. Call our office today!