Are You Brushing Your Teeth Correctly?

Brushing your teeth seems like a very simple thing to do. Pop some toothpaste on your brush and brush your teeth - what else is there to it?! But in truth, there’s a few mishaps you can have with your toothbrushing routine that might just lead to poorer oral health in the future.

And catching these mistakes now can make all the difference to whether or not you’re going to need a filling when you next see the dentist. As such, here’s a few questions to go through about your tooth brushing habits that’ll help you double check.

How Long Do You Brush?
Did you know that it’s recommended to brush your teeth for 3 minutes at a time?

Most people don’t quite manage to spend more than 30 to 45 seconds brushing their teeth, and finding out they’re supposed to brush for about six times longer than they are is quite the surprise!

Do You Floss, Rinse, or Use Mouthwash?
If you think all three of these things are essential to good oral hygiene, you might not be brushing with the best advice in mind.

Flossing
Great! It’s good to floss to make sure nothing gets stuck in between your teeth and starts gathering bacteria.

Floss once a day (it’s OK if you only floss a few times a week though), and try to be gentle with the way you insert the floss between your teeth.

Rinsing
Rinsing, while once hailed as a good dental practice, can actually be counterproductive once you’ve brushed your teeth.

After all, if you’re taking a mouthful of water, rinsing it around, and then spitting it out, you’re washing off and spitting out all of the fluoride you’ve just applied to your teeth too.

If the taste of toothpaste bothers you, there are flavoured versions you can get that aren’t just ‘minty fresh’.

Using mouthwash
Mouthwash falls into the ‘rinsing’ zone of teethbrushing, so it can be a bit of a grey area.

A lot of dentists will recommend using mouthwash once you’re finished brushing, but some would say to use mouthwash around 30 minutes or more after brushing.

But seeing as mouthwash has the same kind of protective ingredients as your toothpaste, it’s usually fine to use it as and when you like to.

Have You Asked Your Dentist?
They’ll know better than anyone how well you’re brushing your teeth!

Your dentist will immediately be able to see if your brushing technique could do with a little work, or if you need to floss a little more often than you currently are. They’ll also be able to walk you through what to do to boost your oral hygiene routine.

As such, if you’re concerned that you’re not brushing your teeth quite right, ask them first!

If you brush your teeth twice a day, congratulations! You’re doing plenty for your long term oral health! But if you really want to be sure, double check you’re not committing the hygiene mistakes above.

This is a contributed post.

Photo: Elle Taiwan