You've (hopefully) been brushing your teeth yourself since you were little but do you really know if you're doing it right?
How Not To Brush Your Teeth
If you watch people on movies or TV, or even on commercials, they usually scrub back and forth with lots of foam and spitting. However, that's not very effective and can be damaging to your teeth and result in cavities, calculus and gum disease
How To Brush Your Teeth
It comes down to motion and time spent. Inefficient techniques waste both. It actually takes 2.5 to 3 minutes to get your teeth properly clean. Way longer than most people spend. To remove that pesky plaque before it hardens into calculus you need to pay attention to each and every tooth individually.
Sounds like hard work? Perhaps. But as a proportion of your day (twice a day) it's not really that much and the benefits are worth it.
Soft bristles are essential in order to protect your gums as where the tooth meets the gum line is the critical area to target. Else plaque turns into calculus and can slip below the gum line which then start to recede.
Optimum Tooth Brushing Technique Tips:
- Angle the toothbrush bristles at a 45 degree angle when the gum and tooth meet
- Gently use a circular massaging motion which will help loosen the plaque
- Flick the brush upwards (from the bottom teeth) or downwards (from the top teeth) to move the plaque away from the area
- Think "wiggle and swish" and be gentle if you want to keep your gums
- Brush your tongue too or get a tongue scraper. Crud begone!
- And don't forget to floss - before you start brushing
Take the challenge: Follow this technique for one week until it becomes second nature.
