Are You Properly Brushing Your Teeth?
You probably know that brushing your teeth is important to maintain your oral health. You may brush your teeth once or twice a day. But are you properly brushing your teeth? Just brushing is not always enough. You need to brush effectively to remove plaque and prevent tooth decay.
Ask yourself the following questions to find out if you are brushing your teeth according to your dentist’s recommendations for optimal oral health.
How Often Do You Brush Your Teeth?
Dentists recommend brushing your teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once at night before going to bed. If you’re only brushing once a day, you may want to consider adding a second brushing session to your routine. It is also possible to brush your teeth too much. If you brush more than twice a day you could irritate your gums or wear away your tooth enamel.
How Long Do You Brush?
Dentists recommend brushing your teeth for about 2 minutes at a time. You can mentally divide your mouth into 4 quadrants (upper left, upper right, lower left, lower right) and spend at least 30 seconds on each section. Try setting a timer to ensure that you are brushing long enough.
What Type of Toothbrush Do You Use?
Are you using a toothbrush with medium or hard bristles? If so, you should switch to a soft bristled toothbrush. Soft bristles are capable of removing food residue and plaque from your teeth without damaging your enamel or irritating your gums. A hard or even medium bristled brush can wear away your tooth enamel, leaving your teeth less protected from decay. For best results, purchase an electric toothbrush.
How Often Do You Replace Your Toothbrush?
How long have you been using your current toothbrush? If you’ve been using it for more than 6 months you should definitely replace it. It is even better to replace your toothbrush every 3 months. This is because the bristles become bent over time and don’t provide an even brush surface. Bacteria also grows on your toothbrush, increasing over time.
What Type of Toothpaste Do You Use?
The best type of toothpaste to use is one that contains fluoride. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that hardens tooth enamel to prevent decay. It is also best to avoid toothpaste containing abrasive ingredients, such as baking soda, that can irritate gum tissue and wear away enamel.
What is Your Brushing Technique?
It is helpful to use a variety of different motions when brushing. Move the toothbrush back and forth and up and down over your teeth, taking care to brush all sides of each tooth. It is also good to use a circular motion to reach all areas of the teeth and along the gumline.
Frequently Asked Questions About Teeth Brushing
Can you brush your teeth too much?
It is possible to brush your teeth too much. Dentists recommend brushing twice a day to remove food residue and plaque without causing irritation to the gums or damage to the teeth. If you brush too frequently, you could experience a decline in your oral health.
Is it ok to brush your teeth just once a day?
Many people are able to maintain their oral health by brushing their teeth just once a day. If this has been your habit and your oral health is good, there may be no reason to change your habits. However, if you begin to experience an increase in tooth decay or gum disease, which is common with age, you may need to increase your brushing frequency.
Learn More About Brushing From Bronxville Family Dental
At Bronxville Family Dental we take the time to teach patients of all ages how to brush their teeth properly. After an oral evaluation we can alert you to your most commonly missed areas of your mouth and offer techniques to help you achieve a more thorough clean across all of your teeth.
To learn more, call 914-337-8430 or contact us today to schedule an appointment.