How to Brush Your Teeth

When you brush your teeth, you're not only improving your smile but your overall health, too. You can avoid gingivitis, gum disease, tooth decay, and more when you care for your teeth like your dentist wishes you would. Implementing these teeth cleaning tips every day will prevent you from having to undergo stressful and expensive procedures like crowns, root canals, veneer insertion. Also, you'll spend much less time in the dentist's chair when you go for cleanings. It's a win-win!

1. Brush Your Teeth Twice Daily

We recommend brushing your teeth once in the morning after breakfast and once at night after your final meal or snack. Food can get wedged between teeth and sugary deposits can settle on your enamel and wear it away. Over time, this can cause cavities and excess plaque buildup.

TIP: Brush your teeth in a circular fashion will get rid of buildup near the gum line.

2. Brush Your Tongue!

Your tongue comes in contact with food every time you eat, so if you're not already brushing it, you should really start. When you don't brush your tongue, not only does your breath still smell bad even after brushing, but all of the bacteria hiding in the crevices can cause tooth damage.

TIP: We recommend brushing your tongue front and back as well as side to side with a little extra toothpaste.

3. Floss, Floss, Floss

Twice a day if possible, but once a day is fine. We know nobody likes flossing, but it's absolutely essential if you want to keep your mouth and teeth healthy! Also, you won't have to listen to your dentist yell at you for not flossing when you visit. Flossing gets rid of all of the hard-to-reach food, germ, and plaque buildup between your teeth that you miss with your toothbrush.

TIP: If you have a permanent metal retainer, we absolutely suggest investing in floss threaders. When saliva builds up under your retainer and hardens, it can be a real hassle to get rid of. Your dentist can spend upwards of 30 minutes scraping at your teeth to get rid of it! Some floss and a threader will get rid of that stuff for you, guaranteed! If you follow this tip, you'll be out of that dentist's chair in no time at all!

4. Mouthwash

After you've completed the other three steps, you're ready for mouthwash! Dilute it with a little water from the tap and swish for 20-30 seconds, and say hello to a squeaky clean, healthy mouth!

TIP: Gargle to get all of that bacteria off the back of your throat and tongue!

Extra Tip: Wait Before Brushing After Meals

We recommend waiting between 10-20 minutes to brush your teeth after eating or drinking anything. The reason for this is that your mouth becomes an acidic environment during the digestive process. Brushing your teeth when your saliva is acidic will cause enamel degradation, wearing your teeth down over time.