Brushing and Flossing Tips

Brushing Tips

• Move your toothbrush in short, gentle, circular, tooth-wide strokes.
• Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle where the teeth meet the gums, trying to get the bristle tips just under the gum line.
• Brush the outer, inner and chewing tooth surfaces.
• Don’t forget to brush your tongue (as far back as you can) to remove bacteria and freshen your breath.

Flossing Tips

• You should use about 18 inches of floss and wind most of it around one of your middle fingers. Wind the rest of the floss around the same finger on your opposite hand.
• Use care when guiding the floss between your teeth; never snap or jam the floss into the gums. Slide the floss between teeth using a gentle, sawing motion.
• When the floss touches the gum line, curve it into a C shape against one tooth. Slide the floss into the space between the gum and the tooth.
• Hold the floss tightly against the tooth and move the floss in up-and-down rubbing motions.
• Don’t forget to floss the backside of your last tooth.
• You may prefer to use interdental cleaners if you have difficulty handling dental floss. Ask your dentist about how to use these special brushes, sticks and picks properly.

Loose Tooth Tips

• Trying to correct a tooth that is knocked out of position immediately after injury can make the damage worse.
• Over-manipulation of the damaged tooth can cause more damage to the tooth structure and the surrounding bone. Leaving the tooth out of alignment for a period of 7 to 14 days while the tooth tissue heals is a better strategy.
• If your tooth has been knocked out completely, the best way to store it until you reach your dentist is to put it in some type of liquid—milk is the best.