Brushing your teeth is a habit so ingrained in your daily routine you probably don’t even stop to wonder if you’re doing it correctly. You probably didn’t even know there’s a right and wrong way to brush your teeth!
While it’s true that brushing your teeth in any capacity is great for your oral health, there are a few tips that Dr. Jamie Choi would like you to remember.
Go the full two minutes
You’d be surprised to learn that many people can’t seem to spare two minutes twice a day to properly clean their teeth. A simple go-round of the mouth with your brush isn’t enough; spending the full two minutes making sure you thoroughly clean each area of your mouth – including your tongue – is imperative to establishing good brushing habits.
Don’t neglect your gums
When brushing, it’s important to brush your teeth right along the gum line, with the bristles of your brush half on your teeth and half on your gums. This helps remove plaque that builds up at the base of your teeth, which if left alone can cause cavities and gingivitis.
Use a good brush
Your toothbrush should have bristles that aren’t too stiff or too soft and frayed – they should be somewhere in between. Once your bristles begin to fray, it’s time to get a new brush because frayed bristles don’t effectively remove plaque from your teeth.
While it may seem a bit redundant to go over your brushing habits, doing so can prove incredibly helpful. If you have any questions, please call our team here at Jamie P. Choi, DDS in San Jose, California, at 408-973-8500 to get answers.