{"id":359,"date":"2018-09-06T09:20:12","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T13:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/drjimdental.com\/?p=359"},"modified":"2018-09-06T09:24:49","modified_gmt":"2018-09-06T13:24:49","slug":"good-tooth-brushing-technique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drjimdental.com\/good-tooth-brushing-technique\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Tooth Brushing Technique"},"content":{"rendered":"

BRUSHING OUR TEETH<\/strong>\u00a0is something we can get so used to doing that we don\u2019t really think about it, but are we doing it the right way? It can be easy to get into some bad tooth-brushing habits, and the result can be that your teeth aren\u2019t getting cleaned properly and you could be doing damage to your gums. So let\u2019s take a moment to go over good brushing technique.
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What To Avoid When Brushing Your Teeth<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A few of the things\u00a0we should avoid<\/a>\u00a0when we brush our teeth are brushing too hard, only brushing up and down or side-to-side, and always starting in the same place. Brushing too hard can damage our enamel and our gum tissue, which is why we should also\u00a0avoid hard-bristled brushes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When we only brush up and down or side-to-side, we tend to miss the spaces between teeth, which allows plaque to build up and leads to tooth decay. Because brushing our teeth is such a routine thing to do, it can be very easy to do it the same way every time, but when we always start brushing in the same place, we tend to pay unequal attention to the first teeth we brush compared to the last.\u00a0Try mixing things up<\/strong>\u00a0so that your whole mouth can get the same level of attention!<\/p>\n

Brushing Your Teeth The Right Way<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The first rule of good brushing is one you\u2019ve likely heard all your life:\u00a0brush twice a day every day for at least two minutes.<\/strong>\u00a0Do whatever you need to do to make brushing your teeth an unskippable part of your morning and evening routines. You could even play music so you know how long to keep brushing!<\/p>\n

However, brushing isn\u2019t just about quantity; it\u2019s also about quality. For the best cleaning action, hold your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle and focus on the gum line. Use gentle circular motions to brush the outsides, insides, and chewing surfaces of every tooth. And\u00a0don\u2019t forget to brush or scrape your tongue<\/strong>\u00a0before you\u2019re done! Like daily flossing, tongue-scraping is another crucial step for getting rid of harmful bacteria (and it will help keep your breath fresh!).<\/p>\n

Timing is also important. Our teeth often feel unpleasant after a meal, but as much as you want to clean them, make sure you\u00a0wait at least half an hour after eating\u00a0before you brush<\/a><\/strong>. The acids in our food and produced by oral bacteria soften our enamel right after we eat, and it takes about half an hour for our saliva to restore a neutral pH. If we brush too soon, we can actually brush away some of our enamel!<\/p>\n