BRUSHING AND FLOSSING  ADVICE HOME

Along with regular dental visits, proper brushing and flossing are the two most important ways to keep your teeth and gums in good shape by removing dental plaque which causes tooth decay and gum disease.


BRUSHING:

• Use a soft toothbrush which is small enough to reach all the way to the very back teeth.
• Place the brush at a 45 degree angle to your teeth, aiming the bristles toward the junction between the tooth and gum. Do not scrub the gums, but massage them instead; use small, gentle, circular motions and keep the tips of the bristles more or less in the same place. Brush away from the gums. Brush the tongue side and cheek side of each tooth in this manner.
• Brush the biting surfaces or tops of the teeth by using a back-and -forth stroke. Apply more pressure on the biting surfaces to get into the small grooves and pits.
• Spend 2-3 minutes each time you brush. Keeping a timer in the bathroom is helpful, especially for children.
• Brush your tongue from back to front following each toothbrushing.
• Rinse forcefully with plenty of water for 20-30 seconds after brushing.

• Flossing removes plaque from between the teeth which cannot be reached with a toothbrush. By not flossing, more than one-third of the tooth surfaces are left unclean, resulting in tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath. Any plaque that remains between the teeth will prevent the fluoride in your toothpaste from penetrating those surfaces. In other words, the better you floss, the more your teeth will be protected by the fluoride in your toothpaste.
• Floss at least once a day; the most effective time to floss is just before bed, before brushing.
• Use about 18 inches of floss, wrapped around your middle fingers. Leave about 2 inches of floss between the hands and use the index fingers to guide the floss between your teeth.
• Slide the floss gently between your teeth, using a back-and-forth or "sawing" motion. Avoid snapping the floss, as it will harm the gums.
• Curve the floss in a "C" shape around the base of each tooth, where the tooth and gum meet. Gently move the floss up and down along the side of each tooth 2-3 times.
• Floss both sides of each tooth and the backs of the last molars.
• Use a clean section of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.
• Remember to floss first, rinse forcefully with water for 20-30 seconds, brush thoroughly for 2-3 minutes, and rinse again for 20-30 seconds.