Are you familiar with the best ways to protect your smile throughout the year with proper brushing? Or, do you recognize that – though you do brush your teeth on a daily basis – you might not be doing the exceptional job necessary for truly healthy, clean teeth? If this is something you have considered before, do yourself a favor: Remember to ask for some helpful demonstrations during your next preventive care visit. In the meantime, we are happy to offer some helpful advice.
Brush With The Correct Brush
If you use a brush that does not fit within your mouth, that makes it difficult to access your teeth, or that has hard bristles, you are not going to be able to perform a thorough cleaning. As a result, your preventive care will suffer. Good news – choosing the right toothbrush is no great feat. Simply consider the following guidelines:
- Use a soft-bristle toothbrush only
- Choose a brush that you can comfortably maneuver throughout your mouth – nothing too big
- Check to see that your brush has been accepted by the ADA to make sure it will offer effective care
Brush For Two Minutes
Don’t simply move through your mouth at lightning speed and assume your preventive care routine is over once your toothbrush has touched each tooth. Instead, pay attention to the time. Every single time you brush your teeth, you should brush for two minutes to ensure you are actually removing all of the plaque and debris that you can access.
Brush Everything
You need to make sure you are focusing on brushing the fronts of your teeth, their back surfaces, the chewing surfaces, the sides – any surface you can reach with a toothbrush requires cleaning.