Effective teeth brushing techniques

Brushing your teeth properly can make a world of difference when it comes to the health of your teeth and gums. Many children are not taught effective teeth brushing techniques, or fail to use them because they are impatient, and the result is that poor brushing habits continue on into their adult life. The following are some tips for proper brushing. If followed these tips will help you to have more effective teeth brushing experiences.

Effective teeth brushing techniques include the following:
    Angle of your toothbrush. You may be surprised to find that the angle in which you hold your toothbrush greatly affects the effectiveness of your teeth brushing. So, the correct way to hold your toothbrush is at a 45-degree angle against your gumline. Gently brush from where the tooth and gum meet to the chewing surface in short strokes. Remember though, your goal is to remove things from the gumline, not shove food, plaque, and bacteria up there, so brush away from the gumline.
    Brush softly, this is not an attack. Brushing too hard can cause receding gums, tooth sensitivity, and, over time can cause you to loose teeth. So, don't go at it, rather with a light hand, and a newer toothbrush, gently brush away food particles etc.
    Use the same method as described above to brush all outside and inside surfaces of your teeth. Don't forget the inside of your teeth are just as important as the outside, neglecting them can lead to cavities, pain, etc.
    To clean the chewing surfaces of your teeth, you will use a different method. What you want to do is use short sweeping strokes, and as you near the edges of your teeth, tip the bristles into the pits and crevices. This will give you a better all around clean
    Clean inside top and bottom front teeth. This can be difficult, what you need to do in order to clean the inside surfaces of your top and bottom front teeth and gums, is hold the brush almost vertical. Then move the tooth brush in back and forth motions, bring the front part of the brush over the teeth and gums.
    Part of effective teeth brushing is also brushing your tongue, as it too can carry bacteria. Using a forward-sweeping motion, gently brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth to remove the decay-causing bacteria. This is important, so don't skip this step. It also helps you to have better breath. This is a good place to scrub a little harder.
    Brush your teeth for a minimum of two minutes. If you find you get bored, or have trouble keeping track of time, use an egg timer, burn a song that is the exact length of time you want to brush, and play it, watch a set of commercials, etc.  There are some toothbrushes that actually come with timers on them, just be sure to set it.
Even if you have an electric toothbrush, it is important to follow the above advice for tooth brushing. If you follow these tips you will have a happier, healthier mouth as you will be using more effective teeth brushing techniques.