woman brushing her teeth

Why brushing your teeth is so important

Brushing your teeth regularly and properly is the number one thing you can do to prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath, because brushing is so effective at removing plaque and food particles from your teeth. Plaque is a biofilm that develops on the teeth, formed by bacteria colonizing and attaching themselves to the surface of a tooth. The anaerobic bacteria that make up plaque consume food particles in the mouth and create volatile sulfur compounds as waste, and these compounds are what make breath smell bad. To maintain a healthy oral flora, it is important to get rid of the colonizing bacteria and to remove their food source. The best way to do this is by brushing your teeth.

Before you brush

Before you begin brushing your teeth, you should floss. Check out our flossing guide to learn how to do this properly. Flossing once a day is good for your oral health and is important because it removes particles from between your teeth that even the best tooth-brushing technique may not be able to reach.

Also before brushing, it is a good idea to brush your tongue. Cleaning your tongue is an important step for removing the anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath. Apply an oxygenating toothpaste (such as TheraBreath Oxygenating Toothpaste) to a soft-bristled toothbrush (or tongue brush) and gently brush your tongue with back-and-forth motions. Be sure to brush as far back on your tongue as possible, because that is a common place for bad-breath bacteria to colonize. After you brush your tongue with the toothpaste, do not spit or rinse it out. Leave the toothpaste on your tongue while you brush so it has more time to neutralize odorous compounds. Then be sure to rinse your tongue brush.

How to brush your teeth

Believe it or not, there is a technique to brushing your teeth. By following these steps, your teeth will feel cleaner and your chances of getting tooth decay and gum infections like gingivitis will greatly decrease.

This method is called the “Bass tooth-brushing technique.” It is a very effective approach that uses small movements of your toothbrush to remove the bacteria that accumulate along and just under the gum line and on all surfaces of the teeth.

  1. Place your toothbrush bristles against your tooth and gum line at a 45-degree angle.

  2. Using small circular motions and tiny back-and-forth strokes, gently but firmly brush each tooth and just under the gum line.

  3. Start with the teeth at the back of your mouth on one side and continue all the way around to the other side. Cover all tooth surfaces slowly; you should spend a minimum of two minutes brushing your teeth.

  4. To clean the inside surfaces of your front teeth, hold your toothbrush vertically and make several small circular motions.

  5. To clean the chewing surfaces, hold your toothbrush with the bristles facing down and brush using short back-and-forth movements on each chewing surface.

  6. Rinse your mouth and toothbrush. Read our How to Clean and Store a Toothbrush article for great information on keeping your toothbrush clean.

If you are using an electric toothbrush, simply tilt it at a 45-degree angle toward the gum line and move along slowly, brushing each tooth’s surface and spending about five seconds on each one.

Tips on brushing your teeth

  • Take your time and spend a minimum of two minutes brushing your teeth.

  • Don’t forget to brush all surfaces of your teeth!

  • Do not brush with too much pressure or too vigorously. Doing so does not clean your teeth any better and may cause receding gums and wear down the enamel.

  • Long horizontal strokes with your toothbrush are not an effective way to brush your teeth, and they can also cause irreversible damage to your gums.

After you brush

After you are done brushing your teeth, scrape off the particles that were dislodged when you brushed your tongue earlier. Use a tongue scraper, working from the back of the tongue to the front. Once again, do this gently but firmly; it should not hurt or cause bleeding. Using a tongue scraper is very important, because a lot of bad breath comes from the bacteria that reside on the tongue. Read our Tongue Scraping and Cleaning article for more information.

After you clean your tongue, now is a good time to use some mouthwash. Read our article on Using Mouthwash for more information.

After brushing, scraping, and using mouthwash, it is also a good time to take some oral probiotics to encourage the growth of healthy bacteria over the bad-breath bacteria that cause odor.

What toothpaste to use

Contrary to popular belief, toothpaste selection is actually the least important factor in effectively brushing your teeth and maintaining good oral health. The most important factor in having fresh breath is how well you mechanically remove food particles, plaque, and the anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath from your mouth. Toothpaste does little to remove any of these; what matters far more is how well you actually brush your teeth.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of toothpastes out there, and some do work better than others. At BreathMD we favor toothpastes that contain no potentially harmful substances, such as sodium lauryl sulfate. The toothpastes we prefer are Weleda Salt Toothpaste, Earthpaste, and Biotene Toothpaste.

What toothbrush to use

Always use a toothbrush with soft bristles. Hard bristles can damage your enamel and cause hypersensitivity. Soft bristles are more effective at removing plaque in hard-to-reach areas like between your teeth, your back molars, and at your gum line. Not all toothbrushes are created equal. At BreathMD we love toothbrushes that have the new fine bristles tapered to a very fine point. Most toothbrushes on the market right now have flat tips and no taper, because they are easier to manufacture. The tapered tips work much better. ABC Oral Care and Dr. Collins are two of the few brands that sell these new-generation bristles. Also be sure to replace your toothbrush when the bristles start to wear, or every two to three months.

flat toothbrush bristles

tapered toothbrush bristles

Flat Bristles

Tapered Bristles

Do I need an electronic toothbrush?

Short answer: no. You can achieve the same results with a standard toothbrush that you can with an electronic one, and it is cheaper too. However, a standard toothbrush takes more discipline (to ensure proper technique) and more time to match the quality of brushing you get from a high-quality electronic toothbrush. At BreathMD we have tried various electronic toothbrushes over the years and have found Philips Sonicare to be our far-and-away favorite.

How often should you brush your teeth

Ideally, you should brush your teeth after every meal and before going to bed. If it is hard for you to brush after every meal because of work, school, or other activities away from home, then read our Oral Care on the Go article to help you overcome these challenges.

How to tell if your teeth are thoroughly cleaned

The easiest way to tell if your teeth are properly cleaned after brushing is to feel around them with your tongue. Your teeth should feel smooth; if they don’t feel smooth and you can feel some buildup, there is still plaque on your teeth. Be sure you have brushed all surfaces.

If you want to feel even more confident that your teeth are free of plaque, you can buy dental disclosing tablets that will highlight any remaining plaque. If there is still plaque on your teeth, the tablets will stain it red so you can brush it away.

If you experience bleeding while brushing

Your gums should not bleed while you brush your teeth. Bleeding gums may be caused by poor oral hygiene, so make sure you are brushing at least twice a day and flossing once a day. If you are practicing good oral hygiene and there is still bleeding while brushing, it may be because your toothbrush bristles are too stiff (only use soft bristles) or because you are brushing too hard or too vigorously. If your gums continue to bleed despite these measures, see a dentist right away. Bleeding gums may be a sign of gum disease and should be treated as soon as possible, as it can lead to periodontal disease.