{"id":1123,"date":"2020-08-12T21:19:31","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T21:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/get-the-most-out-of-your-toothbrush\/"},"modified":"2020-08-12T21:19:31","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T21:19:31","slug":"get-the-most-out-of-your-toothbrush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/get-the-most-out-of-your-toothbrush\/","title":{"rendered":"Get the Most out of Your Toothbrush"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2020\/08\/best-toothbrush-use_543.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"543\" height=\"543\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2020\/08\/best-toothbrush-use_543.jpg 543w, https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2020\/08\/best-toothbrush-use_543-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2020\/08\/best-toothbrush-use_543-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 543px) 100vw, 543px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>AN IMPORTANT PART<\/b> of keeping your teeth and gums healthy is your toothbrush. That might seem so obvious that it\u2019s not worth saying, but you\u2019d be surprised how many basic mistakes people make when it comes to their toothbrushes. We want to make sure our patients will get the most out of their best teeth-cleaning tools!<\/p>\n<h3>1. Replace Your Toothbrush Regularly<\/h3>\n<p>Look at your toothbrush. Are the bristles frayed or bent? Are some missing? <strong>You might be well overdue for a replacement toothbrush.<\/strong> The American Dental Association recommends that we replace our toothbrushes at least three times a year, because old, worn-out bristles can\u2019t do a very effective job of cleaning teeth.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Take Your Time When You Brush<\/h3>\n<p>As often as dentists everywhere remind patients to brush for two full minutes, the average is only about 45 seconds. This simply isn\u2019t long enough to get the full cleaning effect. <strong>The repeated motions are what clear plaque and food particles away<\/strong>, and we shouldn\u2019t be skimping on that. We encourage our patients to help move that average closer to the recommended two minutes! Playing a song or setting a timer are great ways to keep track of the time.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Brush Gently (and Use a Gentle Brush)<\/h3>\n<p>When we\u2019re cleaning grout out of the tiles in the kitchen, it often requires a little elbow grease. We understand how some people might get the idea that it\u2019s the same with teeth and gums, but that\u2019s simply not true. Brushing hard or using a firm-bristled brush can actually result in gum recession over time. <strong>We recommend soft bristles and a gentle hand.<\/strong> Brushing harder does not mean brushing better!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eYm-VxLkRdM?rel=0\" width=\"543\" height=\"305\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>4. Wait 30 Minutes After Eating Before Brushing<\/h3>\n<p>One of the most common mistakes people make with brushing is to do so immediately after a meal. This isn\u2019t a great idea, because the acids in our food and drink temporarily weaken our tooth enamel. If we brush then, we can accidentally cause enamel erosion. That\u2019s why <strong>waiting at least half an hour to brush is a good idea<\/strong>; it gives our saliva enough time to neutralize the acid and begin the remineralization process.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Store Your Toothbrush Properly<\/h3>\n<p>If your toothbrush carries a funky smell, it could be because you aren\u2019t giving it a chance to fully dry between uses. To keep a toothbrush fresh and devoid of moisture-loving bacteria, we should always <strong>store our toothbrushes upright and give them enough air flow to dry out<\/strong>. No more toothbrush covers! (And also keep them as far from the toilet as possible.)<\/p>\n<h3>6. How\u2019s Your Brushing Technique?<\/h3>\n<p>Even brushing twice a day for the full two minutes with a soft-bristled brush that you store correctly won\u2019t be able to fully offset poor brushing technique. Keep in mind that the goal is to get plaque and food particles out of the gumline. Hold the brush at a 45\u00b0 angle to your gums and gently sweep it in circular motions. <strong>Get each area of the mouth at least fifteen times<\/strong>, both on the outside and the tongue side, as well as the chewing surfaces.<\/p>\n<h3>Bring Us All Your Toothbrush Questions!<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019d like any more tips about how to get the most out of your toothbrush, whether you\u2019re looking for technique pointers or recommendations on the best toothbrush for you, we\u2019re happy to help. And don\u2019t forget to floss each day too!<\/p>\n<h4>Make sure you\u2019re also keeping up with your regular appointments!<\/h4>\n<h6>Top image used under <span style=\"color: #2a7abd;\"><a style=\"color: #2a7abd;\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/share-your-work\/public-domain\/cc0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CC0 Public Domain license<\/a><\/span>. Image cropped and modified from original.<\/h6>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #d9d9d9;\">The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.<\/span><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><b>AN IMPORTANT PART<\/b> of keeping your teeth and gums healthy is your toothbrush. That might&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[176,273,280,274,279,275],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-1123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-dental-posts","category-endo","category-general-dental","category-ortho","category-pediatric","category-176","category-273","category-280","category-274","category-279","category-275","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1123"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=1123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}