Before you brush and floss your teeth properly, you should understand how your teeth are structured and realize that they are a living bone. If they are not properly maintained, you will lose them to decay or bone loss due to improper oral hygiene.
At the age of 2 ½ a set of 20 deciduous or milk teeth are fully grown and then by the age of approximately 15, they are replaced by adult teeth. These adult teeth are permanent and if lost, will never grow back, that is why it is imperative to take exceptional care of your teeth. Once you have lost them, they are gone forever.
I can’t stress enough that it is extremely important to floss, there is no other way to clean in-between your teeth. Take the floss and firmly wrap it around one finger of each hand and place the strand between the spaces of each tooth. With an up and down vigorous motion, make a figure “C” encircling the side of each tooth. Apply gentle pressure and make sure you get as far down under the gum area as possible, you will not cause damage. Do this for at least 10 times on each side of each tooth and please don’t forget the very back molars. Do this on the top and bottom sections.
After you floss use a pre brushing rinse like Plax This will help loosen up the plaque on and in between the teeth. Make sure you swish the solution in your mouth vigorously for one minute. You are now ready to brush. An excellent electric tooth brush that I personally recommend is a Phillips Sonicare. After applying a fluoride tooth paste of your choice, divide the teeth in four sections (two top halves and two bottom halves). Using the self timing electric tooth brush, brush for approximately two minutes, on the front and back of each section by the gum line.
After you get done with the electric brush, use your manual brush. I recommend using soft bristles to prevent damage to sensitive tissue. After applying your tooth paste, brush each tooth in a circular motion, pointing the ends of the bristles towards the gum line at each section. After you are done, make sure you brush your gums in a circular motion, like you are administering a gum massage. They also collect plaque and harbor bacteria.
After you are done cleaning your entire set of teeth and gums, rinse with an anti cavity mouth wash with fluoride. It has been clinically proven that 50% more bacteria, which is the cause of cavities, will be reduced with a fluoride solution.
Your entire brushing session should take about 25 minutes, twice a day, to keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy between regular dental visits.