You’ve made it your business to find the best dentist Newport Beach has available, you’ve had a cleaning, and now you’re enjoying your sparkling teeth and clean mouth. If you’d like to keep your mouth as healthy as possible until your next appointment, you might want to brush up on your tooth care routine. Let’s take a look at the recommended methods for taking care of your mouth:
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Use The Right Toothbrush
While there’s all sorts of designs of toothbrush on the market, you can get your teeth clean with a simple, manual brush with the following features:
- smaller head design to allow the brush to reach the back molars
- soft bristles
- densely-packed, rounded-end synthetic fibers
What if you have arthritis or wrist pain issues? Electric toothbrushes can do a good job cleaning your teeth, too, provided that they use a rotation oscillation action.
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Use The Right Brush Stroke
While vigorous back-and-forth scrubbing might seem like it would be more effective at removing plaque, too much mechanical action can actually damage your gum tissue and tooth enamel. Dentists recommend using very short, up-and-down or circular brushing motions to remove plaque on the tooth and near the gumline. Hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to the tooth. Avoid pressing too firmly.
Wondering how firm is too firm? Take a look at your old toothbrushes: do the bristles tend to become squashed and deformed? If you’re worried that you’re pushing too hard as you brush, try holding the handle of the toothbrush with just the thumb and forefinger, almost as you would a pen, rather than gripping it with four fingers.
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Be Thorough
Don’t just brush the front of your teeth, do a couple of swipes at the back molars, and call it good. Instead, take the time to thoroughly (but gently) brush all the surfaces of your teeth, including the sides of your molars and the back of your front teeth. You can brush the chewing surfaces of your molars somewhat more firmly than the rest of your teeth. Then, brush your tongue from back to front, and finish up with a thorough flossing.
Toothbrushing seems like such a simple step in our daily routine that we often do it on autopilot, but a bit of care can not only prevent future dental pain and caries, but reduce inflammation in your entire body and reduce your risk of problems like heart disease today. Next time you pick up your toothbrush, you just might be making your entire life better!
Sources:
Effective Toothbrushing – www.dentalhealth.ie
Dental Care: Brushing And Flossing Your Teeth – www.webmd.com.