Tooth brushing is one of the two pillars of personal oral hygiene. Everyone does this. Our parents sent us to the bathroom every morning and night to do this so it is a habit that is well ingrained but few of us got detailed professional instruction so I would like to give you some pointers to keep in mind.
I encourage you to brush the inside of the teeth first! Most people brush the outside first, and by the time they get to the inner surface, they are in a hurry to get out of the bathroom. Actually, in the lower jaw, the inside needs cleaning more than the outside.
Secondly, you cannot effectively brush more than one or two teeth at a time; the brush is not long enough. This is especially true if you are using an electric brush (the heads are typically small). So you should stay on each tooth or pair of teeth for five to ten seconds.
Thirdly, you should brush in an organized fashion, i.e., start in one corner and work to the front or around to the other side.
A soft, nylon brush is what you should use (most good electric brushes are soft). The idea is not to scrub which is abrasive but to “vibrate” the bristles in place to break up the bacterial plaque which is trying to adhere to the tooth. The electric brushes do this for you.
You need to brush the teeth in three distinct steps, the inside at the gum line where the plaque grows, the outside at the gum line and the biting surface. It’s not the gum that we want to clean; it’s the tooth. But since the plague forms first at the gum line and just below it, the brush should be half on the tooth and half on the gum. The whole process should take you at least two minutes.
Brushing the top of the tongue and the roof of the mouth as far as you can without gagging will also help alleviate bad breath.
Change your brush every two to three months.