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Brushing and Flossing

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Brushing and Flossing

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Brushing and flossing: Are you sure you are doing it properly? Take a few minutes to review the techniques.

Brushing Your Teeth

Your toothbrush is your most powerful weapon in the fight against plaque but it's also important to brush your teeth properly to ensure you are getting the benefits from brushing.

Plaque is easy to remove so use a soft brush. Don't rush, brushing your teeth will take about two minutes.

Removing plaque once a day will prevent cavities and gum disease.

1. Point the bristles toward the gums
2. Gently wiggle the toothbrush back and forth
3. Brush all sides of your teeth
   • the inside (tongue side)
   • the outside (cheek side)
   • the top where you chew
4. Brush your tongue

1. 2. 3. 4.

The Use of Fluoridated Toothpaste

Health Canada recommends that fluoridated toothpaste be used twice a day to brush teeth. A minimum amount of water should be used to rinse the mouth after brushing.

Make sure that your children use no more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on their toothbrush, and teach them not to swallow toothpaste. Children under six years of age should be supervised while brushing, and children under the age of three should have their teeth brushed by an adult without using any toothpaste.

Mouthwash

An antimicrobial mouth rinse will reduce the bacteria in your mouth. If you already have gum disease, brushing and flossing are even more important.

See a professional regularly to have your teeth and gums checked. This professional will clean your teeth to remove the tartar build-up.

Flossing Your Teeth

The area between your teeth is most likely where plaque will accumulate so flossing is essential. You will want to floss your teeth at least once a day - perhaps first thing in the morning, or just before going to bed.

1. Pull out 40 - 50 cm of dental floss from the container. Wrap the ends of the floss around each of your middle fingers, leaving about 2 - 3 cm of floss between your two fingers.
2. Use your thumb and index fingers to hold the floss in place.
3. Wrap the floss around the tooth into a "C" shape. Gently slide the floss up and down between your tooth and your gums. This will remove dental plaque.
4. Use a new section of floss each time you move to a new space between teeth.

1. 2. 3.

Learning to floss properly might take some time and patience. But once you've mastered it, it takes just minutes a day.

Related Resources

• Canada's Chief Dental Officer Weighs in on Fluoride
• Fluorides and Human Health (It's Your Health)