It's such a basic practice, it almost seems like a rhetorical question. But a dentist who helps models and beauty queens achieve their stunning smiles says that three-out-of-four of his patients don't know how to brush their teeth properly. It's a major issue, because improper brushing can cause as much damage to the teeth and gums as not brushing at all.
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"The three major problems I see are people not brushing long enough, not flossing and not seeing a dentist," says Dr Anthony Vocaturo, an official dentist for the Miss USA Pageant.
Of the three, the biggest mistake people make is not brushing long enough. Vocaturo and other dentists recommend at least a two-minute brush - long enough to hum a pop song you hear on the radio - that includes brushing the teeth, the junction of the teeth and gums, the tongue and the roof of the mouth.
The tongue is important because that's where the bulk of bacteria that cause bad breath collect. The roof of the mouth needs cleaning, too, because it's another bacterial breeding ground.
"It's like washing a car and not washing the roof," Vocaturo says. "It's just a quick brush, a 10-second thing."
Dr Julie Barna agrees. A family dentist and a master at the Academy of General Dentistry, Barna says people rush through their daily dental routine because that's the way we tend to do everything these days.
"Life is so incredibly busy, we do everything in a hurry," she says. "We brush in a hurry, we eat in a hurry, we even sleep in a hurry. We've done it [brushing] for so many years, we don't pay attention to it. We often clean one part of our mouths better than others if we're right-handed or left-handed."
The two most important times of the day to brush are before you go to bed and after breakfast in the morning. Those are the times when you have the most bacteria in your mouth that can cause decay and gum disease. If you can't brush during the day, rinse your mouth with water or chew sugarless gum.
And you don't need a fancy, angled toothbrush - just a sturdy, soft-bristled toothbrush that's changed once a month, Barna says. Hard-bristled brushes are too abrasive.
For people who can't get the job done with a manual toothbrush, dentists are quick to recommend battery-operated ones, as well as water picks, as long as they're operated on the gentle cycle.
"Never put it on high," Barna says. "You can damage bone and gum by doing that. It's like taking a high-pressure water hose and aiming it at one spot."
Any toothpaste with fluoride will do the job. Paste or gel is strictly a matter of personal preference. Vocaturo doesn't recommend whitening toothpastes, because they're harsh on the tooth enamel.
Barna says that "what works best is what tastes best to you" because you'll brush longer that way. But any toothpaste with the American Dental Association seal is acceptable. Just make sure it has fluoride in it.
Flossing is a must at least once a day because a toothbrush can clean the surface of the teeth but can't get to the spaces between them. It doesn't matter if you floss before or after you brush - as long as you do it.
Mouthwashes are helpful to reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth. If you have white fillings, porcelain crowns or enamel bonds on your teeth, Vocaturo recommends using an alcohol-free mouthwash to keep them from discolouring. And, older people or anyone who has a problem with a lack of saliva should avoid mouthwashes with alcohol because it dries out the mouth.
Then there's the matter of visiting the dentist. Vocaturo says everyone should go at least three times a year - and more often if you have a bridge, more than three or four crowns or a history of gum disease.
"Patients who do what I tell them to do are in and out of here in 30 minutes," he says. "It's what's under the gums that you can't see, what's under an old filling that's brewing up, that will cause problems. If you catch it when it's small, it's no big deal."
Barna says she sets the frequency of her patients' visits based on how well a person is handling his hygiene at home.
"For a large percentage of people, twice a year is acceptable; for others, every three to four months, until we're sure they're able to keep their mouths healthy," she says. "Some people are so meticulous, they only need to come in once a year. The only problem with that is that we're so busy, we put things off."
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