How to Brush Your Teeth

Dental hygenist, Liz Maxon gives three tips for properly brushing teeth.

Hi everyone! I’m Dr. Michael Bratland, a dentist and oral health expert here at Crisdental in Eugene, Oregon. Welcome to our blog. We’ll start off with one of the questions I get asked the most.

Today I want to talk to you about one of the most basic, yet important, aspects of your oral health: brushing your teeth. We all know that brushing is essentiWal for healthy teeth and gums, but do you know the best way to brush your teeth? It may not be as intuitive as you think.

Many people brush too hard, for too short of a time, or don’t floss. If you want to keep your teeth and gums healthy, it’s important to brush correctly. In this blog post, I’ll explain the proper way to brush your teeth and the importance of flossing. I’ll also compare manual and electric toothbrushes, so you can decide which is best for you. Let’s get started!

The basics of brushing your teeth

Brushing your teeth is one of the most important things you can do to maintain good oral health. When done properly, it helps remove plaque and bacteria from your teeth and gums, preventing cavities, gum disease, and other oral health problems. When brushing your teeth, it’s important to take your time. You should brush for at least two minutes, and focus on each individual tooth. Be sure to brush with gentle, circular motions, using half the bristles on the teeth and half on the gums. You should also hold the brush at a 45-degree angle, so the bristles reach between the teeth and below the gum line.

While two minutes or more of brushing in total is important, its also critically important that during those two minutes, as much attention as possible should be directed at each individual tooth throughout the mouth. Brushing strokes need to be slow and deliberate to facilitate the bristles being able to reach tiny crevaces where plaque and criteria have built up whereas much of the time, I see patients with strokes that look more like someone using a handsaw going back and forth as quickly as possible. To reiterate, both total time brushing and the speed at which we move the brush itself should be slowed down. Its not a matter of just getting it done but rather, doing the job correctly.

Choose the right bristles

When considering how to properly brush your teeth, it’s also important to use a soft-bristled brush. Hard bristles can irritate the gums and actually cause gum recession as well as damage the enamel on your teeth, so it’s important to use a gentle touch.

Manual vs. Electric Toothbrushes - When it comes to brushing your teeth, you have two options: a manual toothbrush or an electric toothbrush. A manual toothbrush can be just as effective as an electric toothbrush, as long as it’s used correctly. That means taking your time and using gentle, circular motions with the bristles. It can be a lot easier than you think to miss teeth with a manual toothbrush because the side opposite of our dominant hand is easy to reach all the way to the back teeth and then work your way forward, hitting each tooth individually. The problem starts when we move to the other side where it becomes more difficult from an ergonomic standpoint which can result in missed teeth in the front corners of the mouth, on both sides.

For those with dexterity issues, an electric toothbrush can be much easier to use because it does the work for you and you just need to get the bristles in the right spots. When it comes to electric toothbrushes, it’s important to choose one with oscillating bristles, rather than just vibrating bristles. This will help remove plaque more effectively - so long as you’re able to slow down and again, choosing the right bristles and not pressing too hard. If you’re pressing and the bristles areflexing against the teeth, you’re negating the advantage of the bristles to effectively get between the teeth and other small spaces. Think of it like this; imagine the space between your teeth being a little pot hole in a road - if you drive over it fast, you barely feel the bump because your tire flew over the hole but if you approached the pothole very slowly, you’d feel the bump much more because the tire had time to fall into the pothole. Brush slowly and give the bristles time to work between the teeth.

Daily Brushing & Flossing

It’s important to brush your teeth at least twice a day, in the morning and at night. If you eat anything sugary or acidic between meals, brushing after eating is also recommended. In addition to brushing, you should also floss every day. Flossing helps remove plaque and bacteria from between the teeth, which is an area that toothbrushes can’t reach. Flossing is essential for keeping your teeth and gums healthy. Most cavities, particularly in young people are found in between teeth. For those with large hands that make it really difficult to reach the back parts of the mouth, a long handled flossing tool or a waterpik is a great option for solving this.

The Importance of Good Oral Health

It’s important to take good care of your teeth and gums for more than just aesthetic reasons. Poor oral health can have serious systemic impacts, including gum disease and an increased risk of heart disease, blood infection, and preterm birth and low birthweight in pregnant women. If you have gum recession, you may also want to consider using a night guard to protect your teeth while you sleep.

Brushing your teeth is one of the most important steps to maintaining good oral health. When done correctly, it can help prevent cavities and gum disease, as well as systemic health problems. You can use either a manual or electric toothbrush, as long as you take your time and use gentle, circular motions with half the bristles on the teeth and half on the gums. Don’t forget to floss every day, too! I hope this post has helped you understand the proper way to brush your teeth and the importance of good oral health. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your dentist and if you’re in the Eugene, Oregon area, give us a call at 541-658-3722.

What questions do you have about brushing your teeth? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!