Everyone knows that brushing your teeth is
important. The American Dental Association and your Dentist in Fountain Valley
recommends brushing twice a day for at least two minutes with fluoride
toothpaste to help prevent cavities and gum disease. Periodontal disease is the
number one reason people lose their teeth. Recent studies also indicate that
advanced gum disease to could to strokes and heart attacks.
Most people believe that a hard bristled
toothbrush is better for teeth, but Hagen Dental will tell you that isn’t the
case. Hard bristled toothbrushes can actually hurt your gums. Use a soft
bristled tooth, which is much gentler. Make sure that your toothbrush is
comfortable when holding and that the head is small enough to reach all of your
teeth.
Before you begin, brushing wet your
toothbrush first. Squeeze a small amount of fluoride toothpaste, about the size
of a pea, onto your toothbrush. Putting too much tooth gel or paste on your
toothbrush will cause it to over suds, which could tempt you to finish too
soon.
Your Dentist in the OC recommends that you set the bristles on your toothbrush just at your gum line
or a 45-degree angle. Instead of brushing across your teeth, brush in a
circular motion.
According to your Fountain Valley Dentist, it
is important that you spend about 15 seconds in each spot and brush two or
three teeth at a time while working around your mouth making sure that you
brush every tooth. It may help to divide your brushing into quadrants. Bottom right,
bottom left, top right and top left. By dividing into quadrants, you will be
able brush for 30 seconds on each quadrant getting your two minutes worth of
brushing time.
Make sure that you brush your molars by
positioning your toothbrush so that your bristles rest on the top of your
molars on the bottom. Work in and out and move from the back to the front.
Repeat on the opposite side. Once you have cleaned your bottom molars flip over
your toothbrush and repeat on the top.
Dr. Hagen cannot stress enough how important
it is to brush the insides of your teeth, as it is the most commonly skipped.
Tip your toothbrush with the head pointed towards the gum line brushing each
tooth on both your upper and lower teeth.
After you have finished brushing your teeth,
use your toothbrush to brush your tongue being careful not to damage your
tissue by brushing too hard. Brushing your tongue helps with bad breath.
Rinsing after you brush is optional as is mouthwash as there
are conflicting debates. Some studies show rinsing has no impact on fluoride
toothpaste, while others say it reduces the fluoride treatment of the
toothpaste.
