The Right Way To Brush
Q: Is there a recommended technique for brushing teeth?
A: As with just about any human activity, there are ways to maximize the quality of the outcome. So, experts have suggestions for the right way to brush your teeth.
Divide your mouth into quadrants, thinking of the right and left sections on top, and the same on the bottom. And think of each quadrant as having an inside and outside, for a total of eight sections. Brush each of those sections separately.
The back teeth are the hardest to clean, so start with them. To get to the outside surfaces of the back teeth, open your mouth only slightly. Otherwise, you will stretch the cheeks taut against the teeth and impede the movement of the brush.
In each of the sections, tilt the brush to a 45-degree angle to brush where the tooth and the gum meet. You want to make sure the brush’s bristles work their way into the groove — also called the sulcus — where tooth and gum meet. Keep the brush horizontal and for manual toothbrushes, keep the strokes short, a quarter inch or so, as you brush the teeth. For powered toothbrushes, just move the brush from one tooth to another, allowing the brush to do the work…no scrubbing motions are necessary with powered toothbrushes. Move to the next section and repeat. After brushing, rinse your mouth thoroughly with warm water.
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39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360.