Tips for a Brighter Smile and Healthier Teeth

Tips for a Brighter Smile and Healthier Teeth
By Mike K. Moser

Brush Your Teeth Twice Daily: The easiest and best way to a brighter smile and healthier teeth is also the simplest - carefully brush your teeth twice a day. Recent studies have shown that a surprising number of adult do not properly brush their teeth even once per day, let alone twice daily. What is the proper way to brush your teeth? According to the American Dental Association, you should spend about two minutes (about 30-seconds on each of the four quadrants of the mouth: upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right) brushing with a soft bristled nylon toothbrush held at a 45-degree angle to the teeth. To ensure that you spend an adequate amount of time brushing, hang a clock in your bathroom and time yourself. Regular replacement of your toothbrush is also essential to adequate brushing. When the bristles of your toothbrush become worn or frayed they no longer do a good job of cleaning your teeth. For best results, the American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush, or the head of your electric toothbrush, every three to four months.

Floss Your Teeth: Brushing your teeth is not enough to fully clean them because the bristles of your toothbrush are simply too large to get into the spaces between your teeth. Flossing is the only way to remove the food particles, bacteria, and plaque that accumulates between your teeth and under the gum line. Flossing does more than clean between the teeth and prevent tooth decay. Numerous research studies have shown that flossing can also protect you against heart disease by preventing bacteria in your mouth from entering your bloodstream. What is the proper way to floss your teeth? According to the American Dental Association, you should take an 18-inch piece of floss and wrap it around one of the middle fingers on each hand. Then hold the floss tightly between the thumbs and forefingers and gently push it between your teeth. Wrap the floss around each tooth in a "C-shape" and carefully slide it from the gum line to the tip of the tooth.

Clean Your Tongue: Proper brushing and flossing will clean your teeth but they are not enough to adequately protect your teeth and gums from the harmful bacteria in your mouth. The reason is simple, your tongue is a haven for the bacteria that can lead to decay, gum disease, and bad breath. The full cleaning of your mouth requires a full cleaning of your tongue. Some dental experts suggest using your toothbrush, in gentle downward strokes, to clean your tongue. Others suggest using one of the many devices designed to scrape the bacteria from your tongue. Either way, clean your tongue every time you brush.

Use an Anti-Bacterial Mouth Rinse: Finally, you should use an anti-bacterial mouth rinse to flush debris from your mouth and to help kill harmful bacteria. The American Dental Association reports that the use of an anti-bacterial rinse can help prevent tooth decay and gum disease by killing the bacteria that your toothbrush, floss, and tongue scraping do not reach. Because strength and active ingredients vary between anti-bacterial mouth rinse, carefully read and follow the directions on the anti-bacteria mouth rinse that you use.

For more information on the best way to help protect your teeth before the next dental visit, please see our site on protecting your teeth along with details on other suggestions. There are many options to keeping a great smile. See more at this web site for more information.

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