How Your Dentist Brushes His Teeth

Your dentist probably brushes his teeth much differently than you do. Why is that? Well, it could be for a couple of reasons. One, he understands more than anyone the importance of brushing and what can happen when an individual is a little too lax about their oral hygiene. He sees examples on a daily basis of the effects of tooth decay and how quickly it can set in. Two, he has the knowledge. He knows the proper way to brush your teeth and, yes, there is a right way and a wrong way. If you’d like to brush your teeth like the experts, here are some tips that will help get you on the right track.

First of all, chances are you aren’t brushing your teeth for nearly the length of time that your dentist spends on his. People find brushing to be quite a boring activity and a few seconds seems much longer than it really is when you’re standing in front of your bathroom mirror mindlessly pushing the toothbrush back and forth. Snap out of it! Most experts agree that a proper brushing session should last a full two minutes. Most adults are doing better than average if they get within half of that time. If you need to, take a stopwatch into the bathroom with you and time yourself. You’ll find that you need to extend that time by quite a bit if you’re like most people.

Be gentle. A lot of people make up for the lack of time they spend brushing by doing it twice as hard as necessary. Use short strokes and don’t put a lot of pressure down on the tooth. It may come as some surprise, but brushing too vigorously can actually contribute to the wearing down of the enamel. When the enamel wears away, it will expose the dentin below and leave you vulnerable to the onset of cavities. Since that’s exactly what you’re trying to avoid, make sure you use a gentle motion when brushing your teeth. Along the same lines, choose a brush with soft bristles. Hard bristles take a toll on both the enamel and the gumline.

Brush your tongue or use a tongue scraper. Most bad breath originates on the often neglected surface of the tongue. If you have visible white stuff on your tongue, this is more important than usual. Your tongue is a breeding ground for bacteria, and it is this bacteria that is largely responsible for the development of halitosis. Not only that, but bacteria left in the mouth contributes to gum disease and tooth decay. Your dentist knows the importance of removing that bacteria from the mouth. And now so do you.