There are many ways to brush teeth, some methods are better than others. There may be times when you wonder, “am I brushing correctly?”. Let me tell you, brushing is a skill, it can be learned and perfected. Do you brush your teeth everyday and somehow manage to still get cavities? You may not be brushing correctly. If this is the case you should read on to learn an effective technique for brushing teeth.
There are five steps that are important to properly brushing your teeth:
The first thing you should do is prepare. What is meant by this is you should obtain a toothbrush with soft bristles, brush softly, and buy quality toothpaste. A famous dentist once said, “every tooth in a man’s head is more valuable than a diamond.”. What he meant by this is that brushing is more than just some mundane activity. Brushing is about protecting the the inner recesses of the mouth from dangerous bacteria who want to eat your food and leave corrosive acid as a by product! You must fight an ongoing battle against both plaque and sugars!
After preparing, you should start by flossing. This will gently remove plaque from in between teeth in areas that a toothbrush cannot reach. After you floss, the plague will dislodge and move closer to the surface of teeth. This then allows it to be easily removed after brushing and rinsing.
Now you should begin to brush, start at the back molars and move towards the front. It is very common for some people to start at the front and completely forget about the back molars. The average person has thirty-two teeth. If you do not know how many teeth you have, it is highly recommended that you count just so you will know. This will raise dental awareness and help to motivate you to brush each tooth every day. 
Once you have brushed your teeth you should then move on to your tongue and gums. Ever wonder what the stuff on your tongue is? It is a build-up of plaque that instead of being on teeth, is on the tongue. This is a breeding ground for many plaque organisms to thrive on. For this reason, it is of utmost importance that you brush the tongue. After brushing you should move on to your gums to remove any plaque that may be present. You should then massage your gums with the toothbrush, this helps to promote gum health by stimulating blood flow.
Finally, you should rinse. The purpose of rinsing is to remove all the debris left behind from flossing and brushing. It is recommended that you rinse two to three times to make sure you get everything. Water will work just fine for rinsing, though if you opt for mouthwash that is okay as well. When deciding on toothpaste, choose high quality over low cost generics. When deciding on a toothbrush, you should consider choosing one with soft bristles. The reason for this being that hard bristles can sometimes damage enamel.
After you have finished with these steps; flossing, brushing and rinsing. You should feel your teeth as being smooth and very clean. After brushing the tongue you may even be able to taste foods better. With so many sugars and refined carbs in today’s food, it is near impossible to avoid plaque. The best way to combat plaque is to implement a thorough brushing technique that will work efficiently at removing it from the surface of teeth.
