Brushing your teeth is a skill which you have gained when you were even too young to know that you were brushing your teeth. But sometimes, a little bit of re-education doesn’t hurt especially if you haven’t been exercising the proper way to brush your teeth.
Choosing the right tool.
If you want to brush your teeth effectively, then you need to be armed with the right tool and that means selecting the perfect toothbrush. Your toothbrush should have a head which is small enough to fit comfortably inside your mouth but not too that it cannot clean 2-3 teeth at a time. Always make it a point to sample gripping your prospective new toothbrush. And then feel the bristles. A soft-bristled toothbrush will help remove as much debris and plaque as possible without damaging your gums in the process. If you’re having a hard time finding a soft-bristled toothbrush, then try asking your dentist. Chances are that they carry such types of brushes.
Timing is everything.
Keep in mind that levels of bacteria and plaque inside your mouth fluctuate depending on the time of the day. For instance, bacterial populations peak right after a meal because of the excessive amounts of food debris which are available for utilization by oral bacteria. Hence, the best times to brush is right after a meal. But if this is not possible for a number of reasons, i.e. a very busy work schedule, then at least brush your teeth before calling it a day.
On top of the frequency, the duration of which you brush your teeth will also determine how effective you are at giving your mouth a thorough cleaning. Dentists suggest that their patients brush their teeth for at least two minutes at a time. You can try dividing your mouth in four quadrants and spending 30 minutes in each quadrant.
Fluoride is the key.
On top of cleaning your teeth, brushing also serves to nourish your teeth for as long as your toothpaste contains optimum amounts of fluoride. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral which helps in the remineralization of enamel crystals in order to strengthen and fortify this layer. There are a couple of cosmetic toothpastes which do not contain any level of fluoride and are used solely for aesthetic purposes like teeth whitening toothpastes. While you can make use of such products every now and then, still opt for a fluoride based toothpaste as your main product.
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