There are a few things to keep in mind in order to brush your teeth effectively.
Use the right type of toothbrush
Use a toothbrush with SOFT nylon bristles with rounded ends. All of these characteristics will
help to prevent scratching or irritating the teeth or gums.
Brushing your back teeth
Place the bristles along the gum line, at a 45 degree angle toward the gums. The bristles should touch your teeth and your gums. Focus on brushing only 2 or 3 teeth at a time by GENTLY brushing using an up and down motion. Start along the cheek side and roll the bristles downward over the outside surface of the teeth. Repeat this on the tongue side. Brush the biting surfaces as well.
Brushing your front teeth
Hold the brush horizontally for the outside surfaces of front teeth, at a 45 degree angle to the gum line. GENTLY brush using an up and down motion. Tilt the toothbrush vertically to get behind the front teeth, and move the brush up and down for each tooth.
How long to brush your teeth
You should spend approximately 2 minutes to brush all of your teeth. Use a kitchen timer to see if you are spending enough time brushing. You should brush your teeth twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste.
Brush or clean your tongue
The tongue is a place where bacteria love to hide and create bad breath. Your tongue needs to be cleaned twice a day, just like your teeth. Cleaning your tongue can remove odor-producing bacteria and help you to have nice, clean, fresh breath. Tongue cleaners like the one pictured here may work better than your toothbrush, and are used by GENTLY skimming the bacteria off the top surface of your tongue.
