Celebrating National Brush Day
Is it really a coincidence that National Brush Day is on November 1, right after Halloween? Definitely not! Halloween comes with candy, lots and lots of candy. Many parents tend to get a little obsessed with ensuring that their children’s teeth get back in shape. This is where brushing comes in. While it is the most effective way to clean our teeth and keep them free from plaque and bacteria, brushing too much can also be a problem.
The following are a few good practices the best dentist in St. Petersburg, FL, recommends for children and grownups to keep in mind when brushing their teeth. We’ve also added some bad practices to avoid while brushing your teeth.
Good Dental Hygiene Practices
Brushing Teeth the Proper Way
Dr. Chris Green, the best dentist in Parker, CO, emphasizes that brushing your teeth involves a lot more than a few up-down and right-left motions using your toothbrush. First, you need to hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against your gums. Follow this up with back and forth strokes on your teeth, making sure you clean the chewing surfaces as well as the inner and outer surfaces of your teeth with the same series of gentle motions.
Focusing on the Invisible Sufaces
After you’re done brushing the tooth surfaces that are visible, you can now attend to the inside surfaces on the back of your front teeth. It should be noted that some dental complications, such as dental caries, originate from the back surface of your front teeth. Dentists in St. Petersburg state that it’s important to ensure that you remember to clean that area. Effectively but gently brushing your teeth using the proper technique two times a day, every day is good for your gums and teeth and tough on plaque and bacteria, which ensures optimal oral health.
Choosing the Right Brush Size
When choosing a toothbrush for your child, you should remember that the one size fits all rule does not apply here. Your child’s toothbrush must not be too big or too small for their mouths. Making sure you choose the right size ensures your child does not experience discomfort while brushing. Moreover, using the right size toothbrush makes it easy to clean your child’s teeth properly as it reaches all the parts of the mouth.
Family dentists in St. Pete also recommend investing in a toothpaste that has fluoride in it, as it’s good for your teeth. This is because fluoride prevents cavities from developing and also prevents tooth decay. Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste to brush.
Flossing Your Teeth
Emergency dentists St. Pete adds that flossing rids your mouth of the plaque that is on your teeth. This prevents plaque buildup. In addition to this, flossing also helps prevent gum disease and takes care of both your gums and teeth.
Visiting Your Dentist, Dr. Brian Leeson, After or Before National Brush Day
Making a trip to your dentist 33704 for your annual checkup at least twice a year ensures that any issues or problems you might have with your teeth are well taken care of. They may also provide you with extra tips to help keep your teeth healthy.
Bad Dental Practices to Avoid
Brushing Immediately After Eating
Brushing your teeth after eating candy or consuming a meal may end up causing more harm to your teeth. This is because when we eat, the enamel of your teeth tends to soften and stay like that for about half an hour after you’re done eating. During this time, your enamel is weak, which means that if you brush your teeth, it may be scraped away together with plaque and bacteria.
This National Brush Day, refrain from rushing your children to brush their teeth immediately when they are done eating. Waiting half an hour will give their enamel time to sufficiently harden before they brush, thus protecting their teeth.
Using Toothbrushes with Hard Bristles
Hard-bristled toothbrushes not only cause bleeding of your gums and pain, but they also damage your teeth enamel. Damaged gums may loosen their teeth grip, which may result in loss of teeth. It is, therefore, important to avoid getting hard bristled toothbrushes for your kids or using them yourself.
Not Brushing for the Proper Amount of Time
Effectively brushing your teeth requires at least two minutes. The two minutes ensure that your teeth are properly exposed to the toothbrush’s cleaning action.
Using an Old Toothbrush
Frayed toothbrush bristles can damage your gums and teeth. If your toothbrush is more than three months old, then you need to get a new one to help you remove all that plaque buildup from your Halloween candy that’s on your teeth. This National Brush Day, contact 4th Street Family Dentistry to keep your smile bright and your teeth right!