How to Brush your Teeth

1. How to Brush your Teeth Presented By Richard D Vain JR 12/10/2009 Engl 393

2. Introduction Brushing your teeth is an important task which should be done multiple times daily. The following instruction is meant to inform College students of the proper way to brush their teeth. All individuals who aspire to keep their teeth until a very old age should use this tutorial wisely.

3. When Should I Brush • It is recommended that you brush your teeth properly after each meal. • If however it becomes difficult to brush after your lunch meal then you should at least brush in the morning after breakfast and at night after dinner. • If you decide to skip out on breakfast or dinner this does not mean you can skip out on brushing your teeth. In either case you should simply brush your teeth when you would have normally had you eaten.

4. What Happens if I Don’t Brush • Brushing your teeth helps to prevent cavities, bad breath, receding gums, gum disease, Periodontal disease, and ultimately tooth loss by getting rid of plaque and tartar build up on your teeth.

5. Materials • Teeth • Tooth Brush • Tooth Paste (your choice of brand though I recommend either Colgate or Crest) • Running water

6. Step 1 • Put your tooth brush under running water • This allows the tooth brush bristles to absorb a bit of water making them soft. • The bristles are now able to easily flow over each tooth and will not damage your gums.

7. Step 2 • Apply a thin layer of tooth paste from one end of the tooth brush bristles to the other end of the bristles

8. Step 3 • Hold your tooth brush such that the bristles make a ninety degree angle with the front of your teeth

9. Step 4 • Brush the front of your teeth gently moving your tooth brush up and down from the gum line to the tip of your tooth • It is important that brushing your teeth is done gently. A common misconception is that you must brush your teeth hard. This misconception is however wrong and if you brush your teeth hard your gum line will recede over time and lead to tooth loss

10. Step 5 • Repeat steps three and four but for the inside portion of your teeth

11. Step 6 • Hold your tooth brush such that the bristles make a ninety degree angle with the tips of your teeth and gently brush the tip of each tooth

12. Step 7 • Hold your tooth brush such that the bristles make a ninety degree angle with your tongue and gently brush the entirety of your tongue

13. Step 8 • Repeat steps three through seven for a minimum of two minutes total time • This time limit insures that you have thoroughly cleaned your teeth.

14. Step 9 • Rinse both your mouth and your toothbrush with running water.

15. Frequent Problems and Solutions • I brush my teeth twice a day and yet my gums are still receding • You are most likely not brushing your teeth gently. Try brushing more gently and if the problem proceeds ask your dentist. • I brush my teeth twice a day and yet I still have bad breath. • You are most likely either not brushing your teeth for a minimum of two minutes or you are not brushing your tongue. If the problem still proceeds then try using mouth wash in addition to brushing your teeth. If the problem still proceeds after that then ask your dentist. • I brush my teeth twice a day and still get cavities • Some teeth are more prone to getting cavities than others. Ask your dentist to prescribe a toothpaste with fluoride in it to increase your protection against cavities.

16. References • http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/202008/are_you_brushing_your_teeth_correctly.html?cat=5 • http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/teeth.html#

17. Make your teeth happy and brush twice a day Any Questions