By Dr. Rajat Jain , Dietitian/Nutritionist
Brushing your teeth using the wrong technique can harm your teeth adversely. Brushing too hard or too much scrubbing can put unnecessary strain on your tooth surface and gums, giving rise to several dental problems. But when done the correct way, brushing can keep your teeth safe from a number of dental problems such as cavity and tooth decay.
Here’s how you should go about doing this oral care ritual.
Ideally, you should concentrate on carefully cleaning each part of your mouth. Begin with the outer areas of the upper teeth followed by the lower teeth area. From there on, move onto the inner surfaces of the upper and lower teeth areas. Lastly, do a thorough cleaning of the teeth surfaces used for chewing as well as that of your tongue for fresher breath.
Also, begin the process with the front part of your mouth and then move onto the back part, follow this by moving from the right to the left side or the left to the right side of the mouth.
Apart from these points you also need to keep in mind this most important fact concerning the gum line otherwise you may end up with a receding gum line. When you bring the brush close to the gum line, tilt the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle so that it doesn’t move across the gums but below to get rid of bacteria and food that get lodged there.
Always brush your teeth using soft and short strokes, paying close attention to the gum line, areas that are difficult to reach as well as crowns, fillings or any other dental restoration and for a whole good 2 minutes every day, twice a day.
