Give plaque the brush-off!

    Brushing your teeth twice a day can save you hundreds of dollars--sometimes thousands--in dental work. But in spite of it being such a simple task, lots of people brush their teeth incorrectly, either skipping around so much they don't really clean anything, or rubbing so hard that they actually damage their teeth and gums. We'll show you the proper way to brush your teeth and keep your smile in tip-top shape.

    Before you begin...

    Choose your toothbrush 

    Dental researchers have discovered that toothbrushes with soft, nylon or polyester bristles with rounded tops do the best job of brushing teeth. Stiff bristles with sharp edges can damage teeth and gums, while natural bristles are porous and can harbor bacteria.

    Your toothbrush should be easy to handle, and its head should be small enough to fit into your mouth easily. The modern trend in toothbrushes is toward smaller heads that can be used more precisely around gumlines and between teeth.

    If the bristles on your toothbrush no longer stick up straight but rather flare to the side, it's time for a new one. Dental experts say it's a good idea to replace your toothbrush every two to three months.

    Choose your toothpaste

    Here's what toothpaste can do for you:

    Remove plaque

    Resist decay

    Promote remineralization of the teeth

    Clean and polish

    Remove stains

    Freshen breath 
    There are a wide variety of toothpastes, but whatever you choose, make sure it includes fluoride. Fluoride only makes up about 0.24 percent of any toothpaste, but it's the most essential ingredient for dental health because it fights plaque and cavities. Beyond fluoride, take your pick from formulations (gel, paste, powder) and extras like tartar control and whiteners.

    Learn the proper brush stroke 

    Does technique really matter? Yes it does. The most popular technique, called the Bass technique, concentrates on the third of the tooth nearest the gumline and the gum itself, where plaque tends to concentrate. By thoroughly cleaning this area before brushing the rest of the tooth's surfaces, you can wipe out most of the problem-causing bacteria in your mouth. 

    To practice the proper brush stroke, hold the toothbrush head (without any toothpaste on it yet) at a 45-degree angle toward your gums. The bristles should be gently flexed so they surround the gum tissues and the portion of the tooth closest to the gumline. Using either a circular or jiggling, up-and-down motion, brush this area with your toothbrush. After several seconds cleaning this area, slide the toothbrush away from the gum, over the tooth's surface toward the open mouth area. This will clean the rest of the tooth's side surface and brush the loosened bacteria away from and off of the tooth. This technique also stimulates the gum.

    A modified version of this technique uses more up-and-down motion over the entire tooth, usually one-and-a-half teeth at a time. Yet another technique uses a circular or elliptical motion over the entire tooth, one-and-a-half teeth at a time.

    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.

    拒絕牙斑

    每天刷兩次牙會讓你在牙齒的投資上節省幾百美元，可能有時幾千美元的開支。盡管是如此小的的一項工作，但還是有許多人不會正確刷牙，不是草草了事，不能真正清潔，就是使勁太大傷到牙齒和牙齦。那么，我們接下來就會告訴你正確的刷牙方法讓你的微笑最迷人。

    在刷牙之前，要選好牙刷。

    牙齒方面的研究人員發現，那種帶圓頭的尼龍軟毛或聚酯鬃毛的牙刷最有效。那種硬毛尖頭的牙刷會傷害到牙刷和牙齦，而那些天然的能滲透的鬃毛會滋生細菌。

    對牙刷要求其實很簡單，刷頭小到正好能適合你的口腔。在牙刷上現在的趨勢是偏向小刷頭，正好能貼合牙床刷到各個牙齒。

    如果牙刷的鬃毛不再整齊豎起，而是歪到一邊，那么就要再換一個新的了。牙科專家說最好每兩個或三個月換一個牙刷。

    挑選牙膏

    下面是牙膏的功效：

    清除牙斑

    提升牙齒礦元素

    防蛀

    清潔提亮牙齒

    去除牙垢

    清新口氣

    牙齒的品種很多，但不管你怎么挑選，一定要確保它含氟。牙膏含氟只有0.24%，但卻是牙齒健康的最基本成分，因為它能抵抗牙菌斑和齲齒。除了氟之外，還要其他的成分和額外的像控制牙垢和漂白劑等。

    學會正確的刷牙技巧

    這些技巧真的管用嗎？是的，確實。最流行的一種叫Bass法，集中在最靠近牙床和牙齦的第三個牙齒那徹底清潔此區域，因為這牙菌斑容易集中這，這樣能消滅口腔中的細菌。

    練習正確的刷牙技巧，握著牙刷以45度的方向靠近齒齦。使鬃毛輕柔的彎曲使其很好的貼合齒齦組織和最接近牙床那的牙齒。在此區域用牙刷輕搖來回上下移動，幾秒鐘后，把牙刷移到靠近張口區域的牙齒表面。這樣會清潔到牙齒側面的地方能去除牙齒上松散的細菌。

   對此有個修正版的刷發，就是在整個牙齒上上下移動，通常一下能刷到一個半牙齒。而令一種是圓形或是橢圓形的方法刷牙，一下刷到一個半牙。

  牙刷時擠出豌豆大小一粒的牙膏到牙刷上，用Bass法，覆蓋到口腔里所有牙齒的表面。首先，刷牙齒外面，上下都要刷到，然后是里面。不要漏掉任何牙齒。一旦所有的都搞定后，你就可以用老式的刷法，左右來回輕柔的刷動，清潔牙齒上面用來咀嚼的地方。

    最終，輕柔地刷刷舌頭去除更多的細菌清新口氣。如果往口中塞東西不舒服作嘔等情況，把舌頭伸到外面刷，或考慮買一個舌板式刮刀。也要刷到口腔上部。

    刷完之后，吐掉牙膏徹底地漱口。

    整個刷牙過程大約有3分鐘。大部分人一般刷牙不到一分鐘，但時間太短不能徹底清潔好牙齒。

    想一想，一天兩次，每次只花費3分鐘的時間，是防護牙齒的一項小的投資。齲齒和牙齦疾病可不是鬧著玩的。手邊的牙刷刷掉這些細菌，你就能從容擺脫牙科診所。