How to Brush Your Teeth

Get tooth brushing tips from Dr. Aryan, San Diego dentist.

Below is the modified Bass brushing technique you may not be familiar with.

• Hold the toothbrush sideways against your teeth with some of the bristles touching your gums.
  Tilt the brush so the bristles are pointing at your gum line.
• Move the brush back and forth, using short strokes. The tips of the bristles should stay in one place, but the head of the brush should wiggle back and forth. You also can make tiny circles with the brush. This allows the bristles to slide gently under the gum. Do this for about 20 strokes or 20 circles. In healthy gums, this type of brushing should cause no pain. If it hurts, brush more gently.
• Roll or flick the brush so that the bristles move out from under the gum toward the biting edge of the tooth. This helps move the plaque out from under the gum line.
• Repeat for every tooth, on the insides and outsides.
• On the insides of your front teeth, it can be hard to hold the brush sideways. So hold it vertically instead. Use the same gentle back-and-forth or circular brushing action. Finish with a roll or flick of the brush toward the biting edge.
• To clean the biting or chewing surfaces of the teeth, hold the brush so the bristles are straight down on those surfaces.
• Gently move the brush back and forth or in tiny circles to clean the entire surface. Move to a new tooth or area until all teeth are cleaned.
• Rinse with water.
• You can clear even more bacteria out of your mouth by brushing your tongue. Brush firmly but gently from back to front. Do not go so far back in your mouth that you gag. Rinse again.

Contact Dentist Pacific Beach if you have questions about how to brush your teeth or other dental questions.