Brushing properly: less force, more technique
Two teeth out of three are lost to hygiene, not bad luck. Technique makes the difference.
Good brushing doesn't mean vigorous brushing. Quite the opposite: excessive pressure and hard bristles pull back the gum and wear away the enamel at the neck of the tooth. The secret is technique, not force.
Use a soft-bristled brush and hold it at roughly a 45-degree angle to the gum line. The correct movements are short and gentle, from the gum toward the tooth — not horizontal scrubbing. Give each quadrant of the mouth at least 30 seconds: a full brushing takes two minutes, twice a day.
The inner surfaces of the front teeth — the ones your tongue touches — are the most frequently forgotten. For these, hold the brush vertically and use short up-and-down strokes. Don't forget the tongue: gently brushing it significantly reduces the bacteria responsible for bad breath.
Brushing alone cleans only three of the five surfaces of a tooth. Dental floss or interdental brushes, used once a day, reach where the brush cannot: between the teeth, where most cavities begin.
Replace your toothbrush every three months, or as soon as the bristles lose their shape. And twice a year, let us do the rest: professional cleaning removes the tartar that no amount of home brushing can.