Tooth Brushing 101…The Do’s & Don’ts
What is the proper way to brush my teeth? Should I use a hard toothbrush? Should I use an electric toothbrush?
Did you know that your toothbrush should NEVER look flat and frayed out? NEVER EVER!
You should be able to use that thing for “100 years” and never see it get that squished, flat look to it.
If your toothbrush DOES look like that, you are brushing too hard and you’re likely creating damage to your gums and tooth structure.
The harder you push with that brush, the more you are brushing your teeth with the INSIDE of the smooshed bristles too, rather than with the tips of the bristles that are actually meant to do all of the work.
In order to grasp the big picture, you have to understand this part first
There is nothing magical in your toothpaste that sucks the bacteria off of your teeth for you.
That vigorous mouthwash and water swishing doesn’t get it all off either.
If you don’t BRUSH that nasty, white, smelly, acid-secreting, live bacteria off of your teeth,
it’s still there…
It’s…still…on…your…teeth, stuck there like putty, and it’s going to cause cavities and gum disease soon.
You’ve got to get it off of there MANUALLY, with your toothbrush and with your floss.
It seems like we all find ourselves in a hurry when we brush. We are either brushing quickly in the morning because we are running late for work, or we’re brushing quickly at night because we’re just so tired and want to get to bed.
Our natural tendency is to brush fast and randomly, until that toothpaste makes our breath feel fresh and our mouth “FEEL” clean. . . then we quit.
That just doesn’t cut it though. The bacteria is left there, and bad dental problems are sure to come of it.
So… do these steps, for the cleanest mouth possible. It’s simple and easy, we promise:
1. Floss first. So sorry, but floss is almost MORE important than brushing, so we had to mention it. (click to see the proper way to floss and why it’s important, even though we know it’s a pain).
2. Then Brush with a soft or extra soft toothbrush.
NO MEDIUM OR HARD TOOTHBRUSHES. The stores only sell them because you will buy them. They should actually be in the isle with the bathroom shower scrubbing supplies, not with the dental products. Don’t buy them.
Sure, those medium and hard toothbrushes will get your mouth nice and clean, BUT they will also …
BRUSH YOUR GUMS AWAY, causing permanent recession. They can also erode your tooth structure , causing abrasion, like water does to the sides of a river bank.
Once this happens, your teeth will most likely become sensitive and will be more prone to getting cavities as well, because your root is now exposed to the elements. It’s no good.
See the snowball effect here? Please just trust us. Use soft and extra soft toothbrushes only or you’ll be sorry. Just brush a little LONGER, not harder.
2 minutes is the magic number…
and electric toothbrushes, like the Sonicare or Burst toothbrush, make miracles happen. We’ve seen it.
3. Chose a smaller brush head for your toothbrush if you can.
Smaller heads reach the very back teeth more easily, so don’t go for that super huge toothbrush head. Choose a medium-sized or smaller sized brush head if at all possible.
The very back sides of your very back teeth will love you for it.
Another trick that helps you reach the very back sides of your very back teeth:
Close your mouth DOWN a little bit. Yep, it’s true. When you are open as wide as you can, your jaw bone actually blocks the back teeth and pushes your toothbrush forward. Closing down opens up the access for that brush. Try it! You’ll see!
4. Brush in gentle CIRCLES and make a PATTERN.
A gentle CIRCULAR motion is the key.
If you scrub “back and forth,” you can brush your gums away.
If you scrub “up and down,” you’ll PUSH your gums back.
In each case, you can cause recession and make your teeth look longer. They’ll be more prone to sensitivity and to decay as well.
Stick with the gentle circles.
Also, if we brush quickly and erratically, without thinking about a pattern, we tend to brush our favorite spots in our mouth but miss the least favorite spots.
Right handed people tend to miss the tongue side of the teeth on the lower right, because it’s backwards and awkward for them to brush there. The opposite is true for the “lefties.”
SOOOOO many people also miss the “corners” of their mouth. We consider the canine/eye tooth areas “the corners”. This happens because people brush on one side of their mouth, then pick up their brush and switch to the other side, then jump to the front…BUT they don’t pay attention to and miss those corners during the process!
Others, scrub the corners TOO hard and cause that gum damage/recession that we were talking about.
This is why it’s so important to be aware while you are brushing and be sure to make a good, gentle pattern.
Here’s what we suggest:
Start on the upper right side of your mouth and brush all of the outsides of the top teeth (cheek and lip sides), all the way over to the other side.
Then come along the inside of those top teeth (tongue sides), back over to the right side. Be sure to make a special point to reach to the very back side of your last molar as well, waaaay in the back.
Next, jump down to your bottom teeth and do the same thing. Brush all the outsides of the bottom teeth, right to left. Then come back along the insides. Remember the very back side of those last molars on the bottom too.
Finally, brush the chewing surfaces of your teeth, aka “the tops,” and then brush your tongue. There are tongue scrapers too if you really want to get that tongue extra clean!
Some people like to brush their cheeks and roof of their mouth, but it’s really not necessary. The plaque doesn’t like to stick around there so much.
Important No-No’s:
1. As we mentioned above, don’t brush in an up and down motion. You will push your gums back from where they’re supposed to be, causing recession.
2. Also be sure not to SCRUB back and forth either. You will brush your gums AWAY, causing recession.
3. Your toothbrush should NEVER look flat and frayed out, EVER!!! This does not mean that its simply time to change your toothbrush. This means that you are brushing too hard, and you’re going to brush your gums away,…. causing recession!
You should be able to use that brush for 100 years and never have it look “smooshed.” ( we recommend changing your toothbrush every 3-6 months though, not every 100 years)
4. Electric toothbrushes make miracles happen, but they have their own technique. You can cause recession with these too, if you scrub too hard. (Click here to learn how to brush with one correctly)
5. Notice in our directions above, that when you brush correctly, you are brushing the top teeth SEPARATELY from the bottom teeth?
Don’t bite your teeth together and brush them at the same time. This will likely cause you to miss your gumlines, which are extremely important places to brush.
You don’t want to leave bacteria behind where your gums are. That bacteria looooooves to hide there and eat away at your tissue, causing Gingivitis…bleeding gums…gum disease.
6. Most importantly….Don’t, don’t, DON’T skip nighttime brushing.
If you’re the rebel type and only want to brush once a day, skip the morning one, not the night. Yep, we said it.
That live plaque bacteria builds up on your teeth all day long. When you go to sleep at night, your saliva stops flowing as much and goes to sleep with you. Your saliva is what helps you fight that bacteria off, so with the saliva gone, it’s is pretty much allowed to party in your mouth all night long…
By partying, we mean eating away at your teeth, eating away at your gums, eating away at your bone. Do this for just three days in a row and you’ll start the nasty process of bleeding gums and bad breath…with cavities or bone disease sure to follow.
Gum disease happens that quickly.
If you see ANY bleeding when you floss or brush, that means…floss and brush MORE! This means that you have gingivitis. It only takes a week of brushing and flossing daily to make it go away.
Unless…you haven’t had your teeth cleaned in a while. Go get your teeth cleaned if you’re due. Every 6 months is the norm.
Bleeding gums are NOT normal. EVER! It’s an easy disease to control though, if you’ll just commit to keeping your teeth clean.
In a nutshell:
Be sure to brush ALL sides of EVERY single tooth in your mouth. Don’t brush randomly, with a little here and a little there. Make that pattern. Picture it in your mind.
Electric toothbrushes are INCREDIBLE!
Floss in between, on those final sides where the toothbrush can’t reach. That’s why floss was invented!
Swish with some mouthwash to catch the last tidbits that you may have missed (none of us are entirely perfect). Make this your routine and you will be GOLDEN!
Finally, get your teeth cleaned on a regular basis, to remove any plaque that has turned into tartar. You need to keep your hygienist close.
Change your toothbrush every 3 months…more so for the bacteria it grows than for the bristles being worn. Remember, your bristles should never look worn if you’re brushing correctly.
Feel free to place your toothbrush head in some hydrogen peroxide every now and then, or if you get sick and don’t have a replacement. It will control the bacteria level for you.
Our favorite toothbrush choices (affiliate links) :
Manual Brushes:
Power Brushes:
Phillips Sonicare Rechargeable Electric Toothbrushes (All are good)
Oral B electric toothbrushes (don’t spend more than $150. All are good)
On the go gadgets:
Crest scope mini toothbrushes disposable or Whisp (for on the go)
For the kiddos:
Finger toothbrushes or washcloths for babies
Burst electric toothbrushes are a good size for kids as well.
GUM manual toothbrushes (for toddlers and kids up to 8 years old, and older kids with small mouthes)
For previous hard brushers:
Extra Soft toothbrushes or Nimbus brand (for people with lots of recession)
We hope this answered all of your brushing questions!!! If not, please leave a question or comment below and we’ll do our best to help!
Though it would be best if we did, we’ll never claim to know it all, all of the time. Nobody knows it all! We do claim honesty though, and we sincerely want to help as many people as we can!
Our patients have maintained beautifully, following our conservative recommendations :)
Thanks so much for reading and letting us spill our SODA! Remember to take the time to find your HONEST DENTIST, and be sure to browse around our links and follow us on social media for answers to more of your exciting dental questions, like:
“what it the best toothpaste to use?,” “What Mouthwash should I use?”, “why are my gums bleeding?”, “What is a deep cleaning?” “why is my tooth sensitive when I touch it on the side with my fingernail?”
