Top 6 Tips to Properly Brush Your Teeth

1) Choose the Right Toothbrush It can be difficult to choose a toothbrush at the store because there are so many different ones available for sale. You might not know which one is good and which is bad. There are brushes that are soft, hard, small, big, manual, electric, and so on. Which qualities should your brush have? That is what we will talk about here. Overall, your toothbrush needs to be effective in loosening plaque and eliminating bacteria from your gums and teeth. - The toothbrush must be able to reach all areas of your mouth. - The toothbrush must have a small head so that it can fully fit inside your mouth and reach smaller areas in there. - The bristles of the brush should be very soft so that they can bend beneath your gums. - The toothbrush should have a Seal of Approval from the American Dental Association. 2) Avoid Hard Brushing Don’t aggressively brush your teeth as if you’re scrubbing them. You’ll want to massage your teeth with the brush instead. If you brush too hard, it will irritate your gums and possibly cause bleeding. You don’t need to brush hard to remove plaque because it is already very loose and soft in your mouth. If your goal is to whiten your teeth, then choose a special toothpaste that has teeth whitening properties. 3) Have Patience You only need 2 minutes to brush your teeth. Don’t try to become impatient and rush the brushing process by doing it in 30 seconds or something. You need to brush for 2 minutes at least 2 times per day. If you are bored, you should listen to music or the television as you brush. Distraction is the key to surviving the full 2 minutes. 4) Get a New Toothbrush People tend to get used to their toothbrush and never think about replacing it. However, the bristles of your brush will start to bend and fade the longer you use it. Eventually, you will need to replace your old toothbrush with a new toothbrush. If you don’t, your old toothbrush won’t be able to do its job properly. The plaque will remain on your gums and teeth, even after brushing. It is recommended that you replace your toothbrush after 3 or 4 months. Also, keep your toothbrush exposed to the open air. Don’t leave it wet or enclosed somewhere because bacteria will grow on it if you do. Most importantly, don’t let anyone else use the same toothbrush that you use. 5) Circular Brushing Do not brush from left to right because that is like scrubbing. You’ll want to use circular motions with your brushing because that is more like massaging. Most people make this mistake if they brush manually. Your gums and teeth need a nice gentle massage, starting from the gum line and going up and down along your teeth using those circular motions. This will ensure that you reach every area of your mouth and clean it thoroughly. 6) Tongue and Gums Brushing Bacteria can build on your gums and tongue just like your teeth. The area where the tooth and gums meet contain the most bacteria. This also happens to be the one area that people forget to brush or clean. If you can clean up to 3 mm beneath the gumline, it will assist in eliminating bacteria and plaque buildup. You can do this by holding your toothbrush at a 45° angle and then brushing it. As for your tongue, it also contains a buildup of bacteria which leads to bad breath. That is why you need to brush your tongue, the top of your mouth, the sides of your tongue, and both sides of your teeth.