Brushing and Flossing

Brushing:

Start with a toothbrush that has soft, nylon, round-ended bristles.

Place bristles along the gum line at a 45-degree angle. Bristles should contact both the tooth surface and the gum line.

Gently brush the outer tooth surfaces of two to three teeth using a vibrating, back and forth and rolling motion. Move the brush to the next group of two to three teeth and repeat.

To clean the inner tooth surfaces, maintain a 45-degree angle with the bristles contacting the tooth surface and gum line. Gently brush using back, forth and rolling motion along all the inner tooth surfaces.

Tilt brush vertically behind the front teeth. Make several up and down strokes using the front half of the brush.

Finally, to clean the chewing surfaces of the teeth, place the brush against the biting surface of the teeth and use a gentle back and forth scrubbing motion. Brush the tongue from back to front to remove odor-producing bacteria.

Flossing:

Wind 18 inches of floss around middle fingers of each hand. Pinch floss between thumbs and index fingers, leaving a half-inch length in between. Use thumbs to direct floss between upper teeth.

Keep a half-inch length of floss taut between fingers. Use index fingers to guide floss between contacts of the lower teeth.

Gently guide floss between the teeth by using a zigzag motion. DO NOT SNAP FLOSS BETWEEN YOUR TEETH. Contour the floss around the side of the tooth.

Slide floss up and down against the tooth surface and under the gum line. Floss each tooth thoroughly with a clean section of floss.