2torial #0868:
Learn2 Brush Your Teeth (continued)

Brush your teeth

To brush your teeth, put a pea-sized drop of toothpaste on your toothbrush, then cover all the surfaces of all the teeth in your mouth, using the Bass technique. Brush all outside surfaces first, both upper and lower, and then all inside surfaces next, upper and lower. Don't skip any teeth as you go around. Once you've done all the sides, you can gently use that old back-and-forth motion to clean the top chewing surfaces of your teeth.

Finally, you'll want to gently brush your tongue to remove more bacteria and freshen your breath. If you have trouble with gagging, stick your tongue out to brush it, or consider purchasing a tongue scraper. You can also brush the roof of your mouth.

When you're finished, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water and spit out the toothpaste.

The whole process should take about three minutes. Most people take less than a minute to brush their teeth, but this isn't long enough to do a thorough cleaning.

When you think about it, three minutes twice a day is a small investment in terms of all the prevention it will give you. Cavities and gum disease are no fun. Brush them away with your handy toothbrush, and you can smile all the way to the dentist's office.

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