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Iron
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- Jun 21, 2020
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Hi guys as my first post I'm sharing a little guide from a dentist about brushing your teeth in the proper way.
And remember to floss
To correctly use toothpaste, first follow the manufacturer's directions. Some toothpastes (particularly prescription high fluoride pastes) have special instructions. If the directions are not special, generic directions follow:
And remember to floss
To correctly use toothpaste, first follow the manufacturer's directions. Some toothpastes (particularly prescription high fluoride pastes) have special instructions. If the directions are not special, generic directions follow:
- If your toothbrush is not a soft-bristled brush, toss it and get a soft-bristle brush. There is never a good reason to use a brush with hard or medium bristles.
- Rinse the toothbrush before use. This cleanses the brush and wets the bristles, allowing the toothpaste to stick more easily.
- Apply the toothpaste to the brush. For young children, apply no more than a pea-sized amount in case of swallowing. For adults and older children, apply a strip that covers the bristles.
- Gently and briefly wet the brush and toothpaste. This has two effects.
- The water activates and solubilizes the non-ionic surfactants and detergents in the toothpaste. These both cleanse the mouth, fight bacteria, and enable more even spread of the paste through the oral cavity.
- The water mixes with the abrasives in the toothpaste and softens their cutting power. This lets them still attack plaque while not scouring your teeth.
- Brush your teeth. Use gentle pressure and employ a good method. Ask your dentist for the brushing method s(he) recommends. This is a good generic one. Do this for at least two minutes, spending 30 seconds on each quarter of the mouth.
- Scrub your tongue gently.
- Spit out the loose toothpaste fluid. Do not eat or drink for 30 minutes after brushing, and do not rinse. This gives the fluoride in the toothpaste time to encourage remineralization of teeth, fight oral bacteria, and convert tooth enamel hydroxyapatite crystals to harder and more durable fluroapatite.
