5 Oral Hygiene Rules to Stick to While Brushing Your Teeth
Posted on: 22 April 2022
Your toothbrush is your primary weapon against tooth decay and other related oral conditions. Use your toothbrush well and you can cut down on your visits to your dentist for dental treatment. Many people don't brush their teeth enough. And other people are unaware of the correct brushing technique.
While brushing your teeth, keep the following rules in mind to ensure that your teeth are clean and undamaged after each oral hygiene session.
1. Don't forget between your teeth
Food debris can lodge between your teeth as you eat throughout the day. And some of this food remains lodged between your teeth, where it becomes a food source for marauding tooth decay-causing bacteria. If you don't remove every piece of food from between your teeth while brushing at night, oral bacteria will feed on that food while you sleep. And because oral bacteria produce acids that can damage tooth enamel, you have to ensure that the bacteria in your mouth have nothing to eat while you sleep.
Use your toothbrush to remove lodged food if you don't have any floss at hand. This will protect your teeth from interproximal cavities, or cavities between your teeth.
2. Don't brush your teeth too hard
Some people believe that brushing their teeth hard is necessary to remove food debris and plaque. But that isn't true. You only need to use minimal force to brush plaque and food debris from your teeth. If you brush your teeth too hard, you could eventually damage your enamel and create grooves on your teeth just above the gum line. These grooves are where the enamel layer has worn away, and they leave your teeth more susceptible to tooth decay.
3. Don't use an old toothbrush with frayed bristles
Old toothbrushes sometimes have frayed bristles that protrude to the side. These frayed bristles can damage your gum tissue and cause your gums to become inflamed. If your toothbrush has frayed bristles, replace it.
4. Don't forget to brush your tongue
Your teeth aren't the only place where nasty decay-causing bacteria live. Your tongue is covered with grooves and pits that allow the worst strains of bacteria to create colonies. This is why your tongue may turn white or yellow if you haven't brushed it in a while. Brush your tongue morning and night to remove the plaque and bacteria living there. This will reduce the number of bad bacteria in your mouth and ensure that you wake up in the morning with only a minor case of morning breath.
5. Don't forget to brush along the gum line
Bad oral bacteria create a sticky film on your teeth called plaque. This film is acidic and is bad for both your teeth and your gums. Many people miss the gum line when they brush, leaving a layer of plaque just above the gum line. Plaque can damage your gums and lead to gum disease. So remember to gently brush along the gum line while you brush.
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