Are you brushing your teeth the right way?

If you thought brushing all your teeth once a day is enough to keep them healthy, you are wrong. It isn't just about passing your toothbrush bristles all around your teeth in the morning. The right technique is of utmost importance to prevent tooth decay and gum problems.

First, the basics

Small-headed brushes can reach all areas of the mouth better even the hard-to-reach back teeth. The bristles need to be rounded at the ends and be of the soft to medium variety. Multi-heighted bristles can reach every corner of your mouth and help you clean your teeth better. A comfortable grip is also easier to hold and will make brushing effective.

Ideally, you should brush your teeth for two to three minutes twice a day. But brushing more often can erode your tooth enamel.

Brushing the right way

Divide the mouth into quadrants and spend at least 30 seconds in each region to clean all surfaces. Brush the outer, inner and chewing surfaces of the teeth. Remember - do not brush horizontally along the gum line as this may damage your gums and cause abrasions on the teeth. And clean your tongue as well as bacteria breed on its grooves and ridges.

Here's a step-by-step guide to effectively remove plaque:

• Starting at the last tooth at the back of the arch, place the bristles at a 45-degree angle at the gum line with the brush head covering three teeth.
• Use short back-and-forth motions on the teeth and the gums. Now softly brush up and down your teeth around 20 times with short, circular strokes.
• Continue around the arch both on the cheek and tongue sides, three teeth at a time. Brush the teeth in the opposite arch in the same manner.
• To clean the inside surfaces of your front teeth, insert the brush vertically. To clean the chewing surfaces use short back-and-forth strokes of the brush.
• If you find it difficult to clean the back surface of the last tooth in the quadrant, try using a baby brush in that area.
• Use a tongue cleaner to gently scrape your tongue.

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