How many times should I brush my teeth?

How many times should I brush my teeth?

21 Sep 2024

How do you keep your teeth for life? It’s simple! Your dental fitness coach, Dr Aisha, shares some of her tips to help you keep your family smiling for life.

At Sale Dental, we believe that prevention is better than cure. We can help you to make some very easy and effortless changes in your daily routine, which will ensure a nice, healthy smile for life. This includes some key tips that will save you frequent trips to the dentist whilst also ensuring you have confidence in your smile. We don’t just pride ourselves on being the best cosmetic dentist in Manchester and Cheshire but also on being the most caring dentist in Sale, Altrincham and Timperley. So here are our 7 key tips on looking after your teeth and gums:

1. Brush your teeth twice a day.
2. Clean in between your teeth.
3. Cut down on sugar, acidic foods and beverages.
4. Use a fluoride toothpaste.
5. Straighten crooked teeth with braces and Invisalign®.
6. Have regular dental check-ups.
7. Don’t delay dental treatments.

We want our clients to have beautiful but healthy smiles. This is the reason most of our patients who come from one-off treatments such as smile makeovers, Invisalign®, clear braces, teeth whitening, composite bonding, veneers and implants end up staying with us as long-term clients. This is because they value the simple services we offer to maintain that beautiful smile. That could either be a yearly check-up and/or a twice-year visit to the hygienist for a scaling/Airflow treatment to remove stains and give them that sparkle at the end of the visit.

In each section of this blog, we’ll discuss in a little more detail one of the above-mentioned seven tips. If you need any further information on any of the tips, just ask, and we’ll be more than happy to answer any of your queries.

Brush your teeth twice a day

FAQs:

How many times should I brush my teeth?

The best thing you can do to maintain healthy teeth and gums is to clean them with a good-quality toothbrush twice a day. Yes, that is twice a day, not once a day. There is variation in how many times people brush their teeth. Some brush in the morning and some in the evening, and some don’t mind skipping it altogether, especially teenagers and university students. However, once brushing twice daily becomes an established routine, it is very difficult to break the habit.

When is the best time to brush my teeth?

Last thing before going to bed and then in the morning after breakfast. When you brush last thing at night, your mouth stays clean till you eat your breakfast, and then brushing after breakfast ensures a clean mouth till the next snack or lunch. Just imagine if you sleep without cleaning your mouth; whatever traces of food are left will stay there and decay through the sleeping period, which could last around 8 hours. Similarly, eating breakfast after brushing will cause bits of food to remain stuck between the teeth for a good few hours. This leads to bad breath, not nice!

Which toothbrush is the best?

Any toothbrush will work for you, provided the technique is correct. The brushing technique is more important than the type of brush used; however, most people fail to recognise this and buy all singing and dancing expensive toothbrushes but still have unhealthy mouths. The bristles of your toothbrush must be angled towards the gum to allow them to clean the gums and teeth at the same time. So please do not forget to clean your gums and along with your teeth. Dr Aisha recommends an electric toothbrush such as Philips Sonicare. Out of the manual toothbrushes, a medium-bristled toothbrush is better unless your health care professional has specifically advised soft or hard bristles. If in doubt, bring your brush in on your next visit, and we’ll check it out for you.

Which tooth-brushing technique should I use?

Avoid back-and-forth hard strokes, which can injure the gum line and contribute to recession and damage to tooth structure in that area. Angle your toothbrush roughly at 45 degrees towards the gum and brush with round circular strokes, cleaning the gum as you clean the tooth. Start from one side of the mouth and end at the opposite, ensuring that you clean the outer, inner and chewing surfaces of all teeth present in the mouth.

Do I have to brush my wisdom teeth?

Yes, you have to brush them if they are present in the mouth. They might be a little difficult to clean due to their position, but they must not be missed. Once wisdom teeth decay or the gum gets inflamed or infected around them, they can be painful and difficult to treat. If they are partially present in the mouth or at a hard-to-reach angle, half close your mouth, which allows your toothbrush to reach further back into the mouth.

Which toothpaste is best for me and my child?

This makes a whole separate topic which will be discussed in this series of blogs. As a general rule, toothpaste with 1450 PPM fluoride in its ingredients should be used for adults and children with adult teeth. For children under 6 years of age, the fluoride content is about 1000 PPM. Please note this is a general rule. When you bring your child for a dental check-up, we normally recommend toothpaste according to their needs.

These are simple tips which could save you and your family from wearing dentures later on in life. If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we’ll be more than happy to help. And stay tuned for our next tip on cleaning in between your teeth!

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