The Wisdom Tooth

The easiest way to help keep your teeth clean and healthy is to brush your teeth twice daily..

Brushing your teeth removes the bacterial plaque that causes tooth decay as well as gum disease.

How often you brush your teeth, the time spent brushing, the technique used to brush as well as the tooth brush, all make a difference to keeping those pearly whites…well pearly.

To get the most out of brushing your teeth, you should brush your teeth for 2 minutes, spending roughly 30 seconds in each quarter of your mouth.

There is a few different techniques to brushing your teeth.

You can discuss the various techniques with a visit to your dentist.

Simply:

• Angle your brush at a 45-degree angle towards the gum line.
• Start at the back of your mouth on one side.
• Brush in gentle circles, from tooth to tooth, whilst moving forward and around the arch.
• Avoid back and forth scrubbing as well as excessive pressure.

You just need a small amount of toothpaste – about the size of a pea.

Soft brushes are generally recommended, but speak to your dentist about which one would suit you best.

Replace your brush once it looks worn or roughly every 3-6 months.

Planning to do it when you wake up and before bed is a great way to ensure that you get to brush your teeth twice daily.

You can brush to your favourite 2 minute song – a classic being “Song No 2” by Blur.

During orthodontic treatment, it is good to brush your teeth after every meal to ensure that food debris is removed.

When brushing brackets, make sure to clean the top and bottom sections of the brackets. There are some special toothbrushes that can help with that.

Brushing your teeth twice a day, won’t keep the dentist away, but it will keep the bacteria away!

1. Tip 1: Brush your teeth twice daily!
2. Tip 2: Visit your dentist regularly!
3. Tip 3: Floss the teeth you want to keep!
4. Tip 4: Sugars can adversely affect your health!

By The Wisdom Tooth 3 August 2021

Between causing bouts of discomfort on unwary mouths and hiding in dark corners, the wisdom tooth shares snippets of wisdom from the field of dentistry.