How To Brush Your Teeth Right And Avoid 10 Common Mistakes

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Most people are not caring for their teeth properly.

Keeping your teeth in top shape requires regular visits to the dentist. However – good dental hygiene starts at home.

Brushing your teeth the right way is important to maintaining healthy gums and teeth. In fact, poor dental care is linked to heart disease, as well other health maladies.

While you may brush regularly, chances are you’re making at least one of these 10 mistakes:

1. Using the Wrong Toothbrush

While toothbrushes come in different sizes, most people do not know which size to purchase and often do not give it any thought. To clean your teeth correctly, you need to use a properly sized toothbrush.

2. Choosing the Wrong Bristles

Different toothbrushes are made with different bristles. They may have straight, round, angled or zigzag bristles. Dentists say that angled bristles are generally the best, as they help clean all the teeth properly irrespective of their position.

3. Using the Wrong Brushing Technique

This guideline will teach you how the correct brushing technique:

- Align the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gum line.
- Using short, gentle strokes, move the toothbrush back and forth around your teeth.
- Then brush circularly or vertically around the outer, inner and chewing surfaces of all your teeth.
- When done, brush your tongue to remove bacteria and prevent bad breath.
- Finish by rinsing your mouth thoroughly.

4. Not Brushing Adequately

Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth at least twice a day and preferably three times. You must brush in the morning, before going to bed and, if needed, after eating a meal. This will help remove plaque and neutralize the pH of your mouth, keeping your teeth clean and healthy.

5. Brushing Too Frequently

Some people are overly hygienic and end up brushing their teeth too frequently. If you brush more than 3 times a day, it can harm your teeth. It can lead to recession of the gum line as well as hastened erosion of dental enamel.

6. Starting at the Same Spot Each Time

When we start at a particular point every time we pick up a toothbrush, there is a high chance of getting lazy once we reach the last quadrant of our teeth.  To clean your teeth thoroughly, dentists recommend to start brushing in a different place each time.

7. Ignoring the Inner Surfaces of the Teeth

If we are preoccupied, we seldom forget to brush our teeth’s inner surfaces. Such a mistake can lead to a buildup of plaque on the inner surfaces. This can be just as damaging as the plaque on the front of your teeth.

8. Not Rinsing Your Toothbrush After Use

If you are not rinsing your toothbrush properly, bacteria and food debris remain on the bristles, which may cause infection and gum disease later on. Plus, it may cause the bristles on the brush to become hard.

9. Storing Your Toothbrush Wet

A damp toothbrush becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, and the next time you use it, you are unknowingly introducing bacteria into your mouth, which can cause bad breath and other gum diseases. To avoid this mistake, after rinsing your toothbrush, shake off the extra moisture and store it in a brush holder with a cap that allows air in.

10. Not Replacing Your Old Toothbrush

Keeping your toothbrush longer than 3 months is a big mistake. After using a toothbrush for a few months, the bristles start bending and become frayed. A toothbrush in this condition will not clean your teeth properly.