Are you brushing correctly? A two minute fix for healthier teeth

Brushing is the part of dental care you do yourself, twice a day, for the whole of your life. Over a year it adds up to far more contact with your teeth than we will ever have. So the detail is worth getting right, because how and when you brush matters as much as what you brush with.

How to brush well

1. Angle the brush. Hold the head at about 45 degrees to the gumline, so the bristles reach the join between tooth and gum rather than sitting flat on the tooth.
2. Be gentle. Small, circular movements. Scrubbing harder does not clean better, and over time it wears enamel and pushes the gum back.
3. Do not skip the tongue. Bacteria collect on it and contribute to bad breath.
4. Use a soft brush and a fluoride toothpaste. Medium and hard bristles are not doing you a favour.
5. Give it two full minutes, twice a day. Most people stop well short of that. A timer, or an electric brush with one built in, closes the gap.
6. Spit, do not rinse. Rinsing with water straight after brushing washes the fluoride off your teeth before it has had a chance to work.

When to brush

The evening brush is the one to protect. Saliva flow drops while you sleep, so whatever is left on the teeth at bedtime sits there undisturbed for hours. Brush last thing, after your final drink or snack, not before it.

For the morning, either before breakfast or a while after it works. If breakfast was acidic, fruit juice, citrus or something fizzy, wait around half an hour before brushing. Enamel is softened for a short period after acid, and brushing straight away can wear it.

Brushing is not the whole job

A toothbrush cannot reach between the teeth, and that is where a good deal of decay and gum disease starts. Floss or interdental brushes, once a day, cover the part the brush misses. If you only add one habit, add that one.

If you would like someone to show you

Technique is much easier to learn in person than from a page. If you are not sure you are getting it right, ask at your next hygiene appointment and we will go through it with you and point out the spots you are consistently missing. It takes a few minutes and it is worth doing once properly.

You can book a check-up or a hygiene appointment online, or call us on 0161 969 7464. Our fees are listed on the fees page.