Here’s How to Brush Your Teeth Correctly with an Electric Toothbrush
From the time the first tooth starts to appear in a baby’s mouth, we are taught to care about our teeth. Of course, at that age, there’s someone handling all the cleaning. However, it’s safe to say that brushing your teeth is one of the fundamental things we need to do as human beings. Whether you opt for a manual toothbrush or an electric toothbrush, do you brush your teeth properly? Most people would say yes, but many experts would beg to differ. In this article, we will explore the best practices regarding how to brush your teeth correctly with an electric toothbrush.
Read Electric Toothbrush Reviews
Let’s look into how to brush your teeth correctly with an electric toothbrush:
Benefits of an Electric Toothbrush
Before we get into using an electric toothbrush to keep up your oral health, it’s a good idea to look at why we should opt to use one instead of a manual toothbrush. One of the biggest reasons people choose electric toothbrushes over manual ones is because of how much easier it is to actually get your teeth clean. Aside from guiding the device around your mouth, you don’t have to put much effort into actually getting each tooth clean. With the average electric toothbrush moving between 30,000 to 40,000 strokes a minute, you can ensure you’re getting the gunk off your teeth without having to put any extra energy into it. And if you use specific brush heads on your device, then you can even get deeper between the teeth.
And if you suffer from arthritis or have a mobility issue in your hands or arms, no problem. Electric toothbrushes will put the pressure off your hands while still keep your mouth fresh and clean. There’s also the fact that many electric toothbrush models have a built-in timer. That way, you can make sure that you’re brushing for the expected two minutes that each cleaning session should take.
Brushing Helps the Gums, Too
While some may take it for granted, oral health is very vital to our everyday lives. So when you’re brushing, you’re not only taking care of your actual pearly whites, but you’re also making sure to keep your gums healthy. Yes, that’s right. Your gums are very important to keep your teeth, as well as the rest of your body, in good shape.
Let’s look at the basics. Similar to our intestines, the mouth is also an area where bacteria (good and bad) live. And when you don’t regularly brush and floss, then the bacteria can spread to parts of your mouth that are usually avoided. According to researchers, one of the leading causes of tooth loss is periodontitis, or gum disease. We’ve seen it in toothpaste commercials on TV. Gum disease is that issue that people probably know about but don’t really care to be wary about.
But if you notice that you start bleeding while you’re brushing your teeth or feel a little swollen inside your mouth, then you may have the symptoms or beginnings of gum disease. And yes, flossing is one of the best ways to get rid of plaque that’s hidden between teeth. But it’s also important to brush very well. And how to brush your teeth correctly with an electric toothbrush is another way of making sure that you’re taking care of your gums as well as your teeth.
Brushing Your Teeth Is Important at Any Age
Keeping yourself healthy is important regardless of what age you are. Unfortunately, many people normally focus on certain stages of their lives when it comes to health. And that’s even more apparent when it comes to one’s teeth. When we’re still very little or even while in elementary school, our parents nag us about making sure we brush our teeth twice a day, every day. And they even try to make us hum a song like the one below (which currently has more than 62 million views) to make the activity more fun.
And then once we’re much older, our care for our teeth is usually ignored. Sure, we may brush our teeth every day, sometimes three times (like right after lunch). But many start to stay away from the dentist for their regular check-up because we usually think, “Well, we’re not in pain. So why go?” However, avoiding the dentist, no matter how much you brush and floss, can lead to various dental issues in the future.
Common Mistakes
Now that we’ve covered the importance of oral care, let’s look at the various brushing mistakes people make when it comes to brushing their teeth. Then we can look at how youcan solve those issues and learn how to brush your teeth correctly with an electric toothbrush.
First, there’s the time. Although two minutes might seem like a short amount of time, most people don’t actually know what two minutes feels like. And because of this, people tend to not dedicate enough time to brushing their teeth. Another common mistake people make is overdoing it with the toothpaste. Yes, toothpaste will help clean your teeth. But using a lot of it won’t really do much if it’s not being properly distributed on the pearly whites.
And as we previously mentioned, we forget to take care of our gums. While dental floss is great to get in between your teeth, it doesn’t do much for your gum line. If you spend some time just brushing over the tops of your teeth to get into that gum line, then you can rid yourself of most of the bacteria that tend to grow there.
Now let’s look at the best ways to brush your teeth correctly with an electric toothbrush.
Avoid Too Much Toothpaste
When you watch toothpaste commercials, you learn about all the good ingredients that can help keep your teeth healthy and strong. However, as mentioned, just because you use a lot of it, that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. Although commercials show the pretty image of covering all the bristles on your brush with toothpaste, that can do more harm than good. Using too much toothpaste can actually ruin the enamel on your teeth. So only put a pea-sized amount (even less for kids) on your brush, and that will get the job done.
Keep Time
Every dentist will always tell you to dedicate two minutes, or 120 seconds, to brushing your teeth. However, did you know that, on average, people usually spend 45 seconds brushing their teeth? While many of us think we make it to the two-minute mark during teeth-cleaning sessions, we’re actually missing it by a lot. Brushing for less than two minutes will not give the fluoride in your toothpaste enough time to adhere to the enamel, which makes it very ineffective.
But that’s what makes having an electric toothbrush handy. Many models have a built-in timer. While the beeping might sound annoying after a while, at least your toothbrush will keep you in check when it comes to brushing. And if you want to make extra sure you’re doing it for a good amount of time, you may want to watch the video below for more help.
Watch the Pressure
It’s true that overusing an electric toothbrush can do more harm than good. And yes, there is a proper way to brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush. As we previously mentioned, an electric toothbrush can do thousands of brushstrokes every minute. So make sure not to press too hard on your electric toothbrush. If you do, you can start to scratch off the enamel, which is way worse than not brushing enough. The electric toothbrush is doing a lot already, so don’t push it. Just guide it.
Don’t Miss a Tooth
Since you’re merely guiding your electric toothbrush, making sure you’ve taken care of each tooth should be simpler. In order to get the most out of your device, the proper way to brush your teeth is by moving it over the front, back and top sides of each tooth. You can start with the top row and then move to the bottom row. And the best part about following this process is that it’ll likely take you about two minutes to do it.
Never Miss the Tongue
If there’s one part of the mouth people normally forget about, it’s usually the tongue. While our parents don’t always teach us about brushing our tongue when we’re little, it’s definitely something to keep in our minds as we get older. As we’ve said, the mouth is home to a lot of natural bacteria, and some of those microbes are the reason you can have bad breath. So if you make it a point to brush your tongue, then you won’t have to worry about popping multiple mints throughout the day.
Keep Your Electric Toothbrush Charged
If you thought an electric toothbrush holder is just for show, it actually serves as the charging dock for your oral care device. If yours doesn’t have a holder or dock, then you will likely have a charger piece in your electric toothbrush kit. It would be good to get into the habit of charging your toothbrush right after you use it while you’re getting ready, then make sure to unplug it before you leave for the day.
Replace Worn Out Parts Regularly
Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes people make is using the same brush attachment for too long. Just like a manual toothbrush, dentists strongly suggest that you change the brush head every three months. You’ll see that your brush will be working more efficiently that way, and it will keep any lingering bacteria from getting into your mouth. Also, you’ll notice the difference between using a brush where the bristles have flattened and one where the bristles are standing tall. Trust us, your mouth will thank you.
