Think You Know How To Brush? Think Again.

You’ve been doing it since you were five. You switch to auto pilot morning and night and get it done. But are you doing it right?

Actually, many people are making tooth brushing mistakes. You may need to tweak your routine to better support your oral health and preserve your smile from cavities and gum disease.

Here are important tooth brushing tips:

1. Take your time.
It’s understandable. You want to get it over with and go to bed. Proper teeth cleaning takes time and careful attention. Time yourself the next time you brush – you might be surprised at how swiftly you finish. The process should take at least take two to three minutes. It can also be useful to take a different route around your mouth every few days. By altering your process, you approach areas from a different, and possibly, better angle.

2. Don’t forget to floss.
No matter how agile you can be with your brush, it’s problematic to eliminate the plaque from all those narrow gaps between your teeth. That is where bacteria can easily increase and start the decay process.

3. Use the right toothbrush.
It is ironic that some people hurt their enamel or gums because they brush too vigorously with a rigid brush. Dr. Ratcliff guides patients to only use a soft brush. If you’ve had gum grafts, you may want to use an extra soft brush.

4. Don’t keep your tooth brush near the toilet.
This is repulsive to think about, but each time the toilet is flushed, bacteria is sent far into the air – even if you close the lid. Keep your toothbrush in a clean place and allow it to air dry.

5. Use fluoride toothpaste.
This may seem like a no-brainer but you may be surprised that some oral care products don’t contain fluoride. And you may think it’s only for kids. Not true. Your enamel is continuously under assault from acidic foods and drinks and fluoride helps it remineralize.

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