Dictionary of dentistry‑No.2‑"What's the secret toproper brushing?"*Do you brush your teeth properly?
The first step in preventing tooth decay is proper brushing!
It's not unusual for people to complain that they suffer from problems like tooth decay
or gum disease despite daily brushing. In most cases, these problems are attributable toimproper brushing technique.
While brushing your teeth is important, results will be only half as good as they could
be if you don't pay adequate attention to brushing technique. You can prevent tooth de‑cay and gum disease by learning the right way to brush your teeth.

*Scrubbing

１Squeeze some toothpaste onto your toothbrush.
The amount should be just enough to cover about
one‑third of the surface of the head of thetoothbrush. Hold the toothbrush lightly, as if
you were holding a pencil.

３

Use short, quick brush strokes. As a rule, brusharound 30 times in one spot, lifting and replac‑
ing the toothbrush every ten strokes. Move thetoothbrush one to one‑and‑a‑half teeth each time
you lift and replace.

５

When brushing the inner surface of your top front
teeth, place the toothbrush head lengthwise
against your teeth and rapidly move it up anddown to remove food debris. Use the same action
to clean the inner surface of your bottom front
teeth.

２*With a pressure of between 200and 300 grams.

Always position the toothbrush parallel to thegum line and maintain full contact between thebrush head and gum line. The best results areachieved by brushing with a pressure of be‑
tween 200 and 300 grams.

４

Since it's hard to reach the inner surface ofyour back teeth with the brush head held paral‑
lel to the gum line, tilt it approximately 45degrees.

６

Use slightly more pressure to brush the surfa‑
ces where your top and bottom teeth meet.
Brushing is easier if you close your mouthslightly.

The primary goal of brushing your teeth is to remove plaque, which leads to problems suchas tooth decay and gum disease. No matter how long you spend brushing your teeth, you'rewasting your time if you're not removing plaque. It's also important to concentrate onareas that tend to get the dirtiest, as well as areas that are difficult to clean.

*Five points to remember when brushing your teeth① Brush lightly, without exerting ・・・・・If you exert too much pressure, the ends of thetoo much pressure
toothbrush bristles will fan out, preventing
proper cleaning. Brush carefully with short,quick strokes, avoiding excessive pressure.
② Brush especially carefully before ・・・ If you go to bed without properly cleaning
going to bed
your teeth, the bacteria that cause gum dis‑ease will multiply during the night. Get into
the habit of brushing your teeth every night
before going to bed.
③ Brush with a small toothbrush ・・・・・・ Avoid using a toothbrush that's too big ‑you're more likely to miss some areas with abrush that's too big.
④ Brush the area between your ・・・・・・・・You can help prevent gum disease by thoroughly
teeth and gums
brushing the gum line as well as your teeth.

⑤ Seek to brush each area once ・・・・・・・You'll brush more thoroughly if you decide on astarting point and brush each area just once,
rather than moving your toothbrush around ran‑
domly.

*Areas that need special attention
The grooves in the surfaces of
the top and bottom molars

The inner surface ofthe rearmost teeth

Gum lines
The inner surface ofthe front teeth

Gaps between
adjoining teeth