Are You Brushing Your Teeth Right? Find Out

Proper oral hygiene is important for more than just avoiding bad breath. If you brush your teeth incorrectly or don’t brush them the recommended amount, it can lead to health problems like gum disease, cavities, and other problems.

However, even people who follow their dentist’s recommendation to brush their teeth twice a day for two minutes each time may still be making some simple mistakes that could poorly affect their oral health. That’s why today we’re going to talk about the steps to make sure your teeth are properly cleaned every time you brush.

Brushing with a Normal Toothbrush

The steps required for brushing your teeth are slightly different depending on whether you are using a regular toothbrush or an electric one. Here are the steps for a normal brush:

1. Wet the brush with a little water and add a bit of toothpaste that’s about the size of a pea onto the bristles.
2. Begin brushing your teeth by holding the bristles at a 45-degree angle to the gums and moving the brush in small, circular motions, Make sure to get the entire surface of every tooth, including the sides and tops of the molars way in the back.
3. Brush the inside surfaces of your front teeth by flipping the toothbrush upside down for the bottom teeth and the right side up for the top ones.
4. Brush your tongue to get the excess bacteria off of it.
5. Spit out the toothpaste and rinse your mouth out with water.

Brushing with an Electric Toothbrush

Because electric toothbrushes rotate on their own, you don’t have to do the same brushing motion as you do with a regular toothbrush.

Keep in mind, though, that just because the toothbrush does a lot of the work for you doesn’t mean that you can spend less time brushing your teeth just because you have an electric toothbrush. You should still brush twice a day for two minutes each session no matter what.

Some electric brushes even come with a handy timer that automatically turns the brush off after two minutes have passed, so you can be certain you’re spending the right amount of time during each brushing session.

Here are the steps for an electric toothbrush:

1. Wet the brush with water and add a pea-sized dollop of toothpaste on top.
2. Turn the brush on and insert it into your mouth. For electric toothbrushes, it can be helpful to start at the back of the mouth and work your way around.
3. Make sure to thoroughly polish every tooth, including the front and back sides and the chewing surfaces of the molars.
4. Brush your tongue by gently running the electric brush over it.
5. Spit out any plaque, toothpaste, and saliva, and rinse your mouth out with water.

Pros and Cons of Electric Vs. Normal

As you can see, the process of brushing your teeth with an electric brush and a toothbrush is very similar. The question is, though, which one is better? The answer is neither.

Studies show that electric toothbrushes are more effective than regular toothbrushes at removing plaque and reducing gum disease. However, if you follow the steps provided in this article to brush properly, a regular toothbrush will be nearly as effective.

Ultimately, it’s not about which type of brush you use, but how you use it. If used incorrectly, even electric toothbrushes can do more harm than good. That’s why most dentists recommend gentle movements and using a brush with soft bristles to avoid damaging your teeth.

Trying to brush too fast or with too much force can cause just as many problems as not brushing at all, so the most important thing is to get the technique right, regardless of which type you use.