Brushing -- the right way

DENTAL ISSUES

If you want to know if you brushed well, gently run your tongue all over your teeth. You will feel that after brushing, your teeth feel slick. You probably did not brush well if you found your teeth smooth

Before diving straight into the topic, let us know what brushing is and why we brush every day. Brushing is an effective way of removing plaque from our teeth. A plaque is a bio-film of sticky bacteria, and it is stubborn. The plaque contains bacteria, and it produces acid. The bacteria may lead to decay in teeth. Moreover, plaque causes terrible breath and infects the gum. Many dental diseases are caused due to this curse.

Brushing helps to remove the plaque. Moreover, the toothpaste has fluoride, which keeps teeth strong and prevents them from decaying. Choose toothpaste for yourself that best suits your needs. For example, if you want your toothpaste to have some whitening feature, choose teeth-whitening toothpaste.

Before knowing the proper techniques, the first job would be to get a small-headed and soft-bristled brush in hand. Gently hold the brush and then squeeze toothpaste onto the brush.

Hold the bristles at an angle of 45-degree in an upward manner.

Gently sweep the brush back and forth over your teeth or gums in a circular motion.

Make sure to clean the space between your teeth in a gentle sweeping motion. Repeat the same process until you are done cleaning the outer part of the top row of teeth.

Do the same step for the lower row of teeth too.

After finishing with the outer part, move to the inside of the bottom teeth. Start with the tilt-down brushing technique, and repeat the same.

Then clean the molar teeth. Clean the molars by holding the brush in a balanced way against the molar teeth. Clean the ridges and the back teeth. Do the same for all teeth at the top and bottom.

Lastly, clean your tongue gently by brushing away all the accumulated plaque.

After brushing your teeth, if you feel like some leftovers are still there, then use floss. Flossing teeth is an important step, and it is often skipped. Flossing teeth is as important as brushing teeth, and teeth must be flossed at least once a day.

If you want to know if you brushed well, gently run your tongue all over your teeth. You will feel that after brushing, your teeth feel slick. You probably did not brush well if you found your teeth smooth. Brushing teeth for a minimum of two minutes using just a pea-sized amount is advisable. Also, for maintaining oral hygiene, it is advisable to brush twice a day -- the first time as soon as you wake up and second before retiring to bed.

A brush is to be used for three to four months. After four months at maximum, it must be replaced. It is advisable to check with your dentist to prevent and treat oral diseases.

Besides brushing, eating a balanced diet helps to keep teeth strong. Eating less sugar, and drinking less tea, coffee and alcohol can help prevent your teeth from discolouring.

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