This article is going to tell you what you didn't know about brushing your teeth. Ok, yes, so you've been brushing your teeth since you could hold a toothbrush, and you've been repeating this action twice a day, every day for the entire duration of your life, right? Well, a recent visit to the dental hygienist brought to light certain factors that are not widely circulated, and they should be the foundations for everyone's dental care.
1.
Switch to an electronic toothbrush
- Why? Aside from the obvious superior cleaning ability they possess against good old elbow grease, manual toothbrushes cause receding gums with their back and forth motion. In later life, receding gums can cause a lot of issues and accelerate the process of teeth falling out. Save the dentures for the last possible moment and use an electronic toothbrush instead.
2.
Use a round-headed toothbrush
- They are designed to concentrate on one tooth at a time and this is exactly how you should be cleaning your teeth. An oval or rectangle shaped head doesn't quite allow you to angle it the same way as a round-headed one and therefore does not allow for the same standard of cleaning.
3.
3 days
- This is how often you should charge your toothbrush in order to make sure that you are getting the consistent amount of power during each clean. The battery may last way longer than three days, however, as the amount of power in the battery diminishes, the performance of the toothbrush does as well.
4.
4 seconds
- This is the amount of time you should be spending on each tooth surface before moving on to the next. The toothbrush should not be pressed tightly up against each tooth but rather just skimming the surface with light pressure for the most effective cleaning.
5.
5 sections
- You should divide your teeth up into five sections to tackle; the front of the teeth (top), the front of the teeth (bottom), behind the teeth (top), behind the teeth (bottom), the contact point of the teeth (where you chew and bite) (top and bottom).
6.
6 months
- Visit your hygienist every six months for a professional clean. Despite all of the above cleaning and maintenance, you would be surprised about how much build up is surrendered out of its hiding place when the professionals get in there with their fancy tools and scrapers. Keep the date; your smile will say it all.
