Oral Hygiene 101: How to brush properly?
I visited my dentist today and while waiting for my turn, I killed the time browsing on some dental magazines. And I found a great article about oral hygiene - talking about how to brush and floss properly.
Plaque-covered teeth, inflamed gum, and smelly breath are due to poor oral hygiene. Hence, the importance of cleaning your teeth as soon as these appear or erupt in the oral cavity to achieve zero cavity.
Correct tooth brushing and flossing are the most effective mechanical defenses against gum disease and halitosis (smelly breath).
Here’s how to brush properly:
1. Employ a circular brushig motion at a 45-degree angle and move from the outside to the inside of the teeth.
2. Brush using upward stroke for lower teeth and downward stroke for upper teeth.
3. Pay particular attention to the chewing surfaces and in-between teeth.
4. Avoid the back-and-forth motion. It may cause your gums to recede and irritate the roots and surfaces of your teeth.
5. Brush at least twice a day for a full three to four minutes - the average song length. So why not tun on your radio while brushing?
6. Brush your tongue or you may use a tongue scraper.
