You wake up in the mornings and the first thing you should do is brush your teeth. Not doing so, you are prone to suffer from cavities, decay, foul breath and even tooth loss.

By brushing, not only do you get rid of the plaque that has built up while you were asleep. You also deal with bad breath and improve the chances of keeping all of your teeth for a life time.

In this article, we are going to see how good brushing is, as well as some good and bad habits. Hope it is of use to you!

The importance of brushing

Naturally, whenever we eat or drink, food particles and especially sugar tend to stick to our teeth. Your mouth harbors all of these food remnants which the bacteria uses to grow.

With poor oral hygiene, these bacteria cling to your teeth and slowly harms their way into your teeth and the gums. In order to stop this, you must brush your teeth every day. Los Algodones dentists recommend brushing twice a day for two minutes each time.

As you should know, there are several benefits to brushing:

1. You decrease the chances of getting cavities. The toothbrush swipes away plaque and bacteria as it gently brushes the teeth, protecting your enamel.
2. Helps you against halitosis or bad breath. By keeping your teeth clean and healthy, as well as brushing your tongue and cheeks, you will keep a fresh breath for longer.
3. Removes stain from the teeth. Plaque and food stain the teeth, to further help you can get a whitening toothpaste or procedure.
4. Prevents diseases such as periodontitis and gum disease. Plaque not only targets the teeth, it also gets in contact with your gum line and covers it.

What to do

When brushing, we want to make sure the job is well done, as such we have collected these tips for you to follow:

• Make sure that you are comfortable with your toothbrush. The habit of brushing your teeth starts by using the right tools for it. As such, using a toothbrush that is not either too big or too small is a great way to start.
• Tilt your toothbrush 45° against your gum line. This will help you clear all the plaque and protect you against gum disease.
• Brush for at least two minutes. You can listen to a song while brushing to keep up with the time.
• Use a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Fluoride greatly helps strengthening your teeth.
• Drink plenty of water and overall stay hydrated. You want to keep your saliva production to good levels, it not only inhibits bacteria, but also helps remineralizing your tooth enamel.
• Replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months, even sooner if the bristles are worn down.

What not to do

And now we have the don’ts over here, which are overall things that most people tend to do. There are quite a few, but please take them into account:

• Do not brush your teeth too hard. Not only are you risking wearing down your tooth enamel, you are also contributing to harming your gums.
• Instead of following a pattern, try to brush differently each time. The reason behind this is that if you follow a routine, you will be paying more attention to some areas more than others.
• Avoid brushing right away after eating. The best is to wait thirty minutes, as the tooth enamel is more prone to break before that.
• Not rinsing your mouth and toothbrush after you are done. By brushing you are seeking to remove the bacteria, and by not rinsing your mouth you are letting it stay there. Likewise, you wash your toothbrush after you use it to get rid of them. Take into account that by rinsing your mouth you also improve your saliva production, which helps against dry mouth.
• Remember you have to leave your toothbrush in a dry place. If the bacteria remains in a wet environment, then they will strive.

Follow these tips and you will be on your way to a bright, white smile!