How to Brush

Proper brushing is essential for cleaning teeth and gums effectively. Use a toothbrush with soft, nylon, round-ended bristles that will not scratch and irritate teeth or damage gums.

Place bristles along the gumline at a 45-degree angle. Bristles should contact both the tooth surface and the gumline.

Gently brush the outer tooth surfaces of 2-3 teeth using a vibrating back & forth rolling motion. Move brush to the next group of 2-3 teeth and repeat.

Maintain a 45-degree angle with bristles contacting the tooth surface and gumline. Gently brush using back, forth, and rolling motion along all of the inner tooth surfaces.

Tilt brush vertically behind the front teeth. Make several up & down strokes using the front half of the brush.

Place the brush against the biting surface of the teeth & use a gentle back & forth scrubbing motion. Brush the tongue from back to front to remove odor-producing bacteria.

--Illustrations adapted by and used courtesy of the John O. Butler Company--

Even though just about everyone brushes their teeth day in and day out, many of them might not be aware that they might not be brushing their teeth correctly. Till today, a lot of people brush their teeth with the left to right movement that is in fact the wrong direction or method of brushing teeth. The correct way of brushing teeth is to brush up to down.

There is often considerable debris left on the sidelines of our teeth from the food we eat that is not removed when people used the left to right movement to brush their teeth. When it comes to cleaning all this dirt and debris from our teeth, the most appropriate method is to brush up to down. This top to bottom movement of brushing teeth involves starting from the gums to the teeth. This movement is more effective at removing any food scraps that get stuck in the crevices between the teeth. The best way to keep our teeth and mouth clean from the variety of bacteria or leftover food is to brush our teeth on a regular basis but also in the right way.

The reason it is important to regularly brush our teeth is because the human mouth can be a shelter for over three hundred types of bacteria. Therefore not only must we brush every day but we must brush our teeth in the correct way too. We also get to keep our mouth clean and healthy if we brush our teeth properly.

Thus, when brushing our teeth in the correct way we must firstly brush the teeth that we use to chew food and where leftover debris often gets stuck. The brush should be tilted to a 45 degree angle while brushing teeth. The bad habit of brushing from left to right should be avoided. The correct way of brushing teeth is to begin from the gums and go down to the teeth. For the reduction of plaque and the stimulation of the gums, it is advisable to brush gently. To facilitate blood circulation, massaging the gums is advisable too. To focus on the upper and lower frontal teeth, the toothbrush needs to be moved to a vertical position. Most of the plaque accumulates in this part of the teeth. The entire surface of every tooth needs to be cleaned including the gum pockets and the crevices. Since bad breath can be caused by the dirt inside the mouth so the surface of the tongue and the inner cheeks needs to be brushed as well.