Brushing your teeth is an important part of your dental care routine. For a healthy mouth and clean teeth, the ADA recommends brushing 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 or four months, or sooner if the bristles are worn out. A worn toothbrush won’t do a good job of cleaning your teeth. Make sure to use ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste.

Proper Technique For Brushing

Place your toothbrush so it is positioned at a 45-degree angle towards the gums. Move the brush back and forth in short or tooth-wide strokes. Brush the outer surfaces, then move on to the inner surfaces, finishing with the chewing surfaces of the teeth. To clean the inside surfaces of your front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and make several up and down strokes. Brush for two minutes, twice per day.

Floss and Mouthwash Role

No amount of brushing will make up for the use of floss and mouthwash. You should floss one time each day and always do it before brushing to ensure the bacteria and plaque are removed from your mouth. Then comes the brushing which we covered above. After you finish brushing your teeth, commonly, most of us want to rinse our mouths.

If you do that following brushing you rinse a good portion of the fluoride from toothpaste that is on your teeth. Instead, rinse and gargle with your fluoride mouth wash only. This applies more fluoride to protect your teeth and also rinses out your mouth.

We hope this message keeps you better informed. If you have any other questions or comments, please contact our office. Also, if you have any issues with your oral health our office is always excited to help new patients. Don’t hesitate to give us a call and get an appointment scheduled.