Frequently Asked Questions about Toothbrushing:
Q. How often should you brush?
A. At the very minimum, we recommend that you brush your teeth twice a day; first thing in the morning and last thing at night. It would of course be great if you brush half way through your day.
Q. How long should you spend brushing?
A. To do the job properly, assuming you have a full set of teeth, it should take you between 2-3 mins to get the job done. Unfortunately, many people don’t spend enough time brushing their teeth and this inevitably means that areas are either not cleaned properly or are forgotten about altogether! Many surveys tell us that most people sadly only spend about 30 seconds cleaning their teeth.
Q. What type of toothbrush should you buy?
A. For most people, we would typically recommend either a soft or medium tufted toothbrush. We don’t recommend hard toothbrushes for anyone (they are only useful for scrubbing tiles!). Use just a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on the brush.
Q. How often should you change my toothbrush?
A. Usually every 3 months or when the bristles start to bend or curve away from the brush.
Recommended Brushing Technique:
The bristle tips will enter the gum ‘pockets’ at the gum-tooth border and cover the gum margin.
Reposition the toothbrush and apply the brush to the next group of two or three teeth. Take care to overlap placement.
Repeat the entire stroke at each position around the upper and lower teeth, both for the outside and inside surfaces.
Frequently Asked Questions about Flossing:
Q. How often should you floss?
A. In an ideal world, twice a day, however if done correctly, it is adequate to floss once daily.
Q. What type of floss should you buy?
A. To be honest… it really doesn’t matter. It is best to check with your dentist which particular type is suitable for you (Floss Vs Tape; Waxed Vx Unwaxed, Superfloss etc).
Q. Food doesn’t get caught between my teeth, so why bother with floss?
Flossing isn’t so much about removing food as it is about removing plaque; Plaque is what actually what causes tooth decay and gum disease. Flossing or using an interdental cleaner is the only effective way to remove plaque between teeth.
Recommended Flossing Technique:
Let’s be honest – flossing isn’t easy! But, like everything in life, the more you practice doing it, the easier it becomes! Follow our technique below:
Hold your floss correctly.
Take a good length of floss – about the length of your arm – and wrap it around each middle finger, leaving about 4 inches of floss between them. Hold the floss between the thumb and index finger of each hand leaving about 1-2 inches between each hand.
To recap, flossing should be used before toothbrushing.
Floss may be doubled to provide a wider rubbing surface; A floss holder may be helpful for a person with a disability or for a parent or caregiver. Remember…. “floss the teeth you want to keep!” and “practice makes perfect.”
