How Should I Clean My Teeth Properly?

Did you choose the correct tooth brush for your teeth?

Do you brush your teeth for the proper time as said by the specialists?

Do you change your brush every 3 to 4 months?

Do you brush your teeth by simply going back and forward?

Do you brush on the gum line as well?

Make sure your brush can cover the places that need covering. That’s everywhere you should be able to reach with a toothbrush. It can be a power toothbrush or a manual one. The bristles need to be soft and able to bend, to kind of get right under that gum.

You should brush at least twice a day for 2 minutes each time. Don't cut the brushing short even if you are late for school/work or you want to go to bed. Set a timer using your phone for 2 minutes and keep brushing till that time is up.

When you find a good toothbrush, it’s sometimes hard to give it up. But when you see changes in the bristles -- when they become discolored, bent, or dirty looking -- it’s time to chuck the brush. Change it at least every 3 to 4 months. Also, it’s smart not to share your brush with anyone else. And keep it in the open air to keep mold or bacteria from growing on it when it’s wet.

Start from the gum, and go up and down, in little circular, up-and-down motions. Think massage while brushing your teeth, as going back and forth can damage your teeth.

Bacteria often hang out where your tooth meets your gum. We miss that area a lot. You have about a millimeter of gum tissue where your tooth comes outside your gum, you want to kind of get under there, just about a millimeter, maybe 2 or 3 millimeters, right under the gum.

One of the biggest issues that people have is that they try to scrub their teeth too hard. They feel like if they really don’t go at the teeth, like they’re trying to clean the grout in their bathroom tile, that they’re not doing the right job.