Going to the dentist too often may cost you a lot of money. That is one of the main reasons your dentist will urge you to take good care of your teeth at home. What is involved in taking good care of your teeth? Actually, it is as simple as brushing and flossing your teeth frequently.

You see, what happens if you don’t brush and floss your teeth is that the bacteria in your mouth eat the sugar that you have consumed. From this, their by-product is an acid which is harmful to your teeth and will, in fact, decay them. Carelessly, lazily, or otherwise not thoroughly brushing your teeth will, in turn, cause gum disease and tooth decay.

Okay, so there are millions of different toothbrushes when you go to the pharmacy - purple, yellow, orange, red; the ones with the curvy handles, straight handles, ergonomic handles, straight bristles, diagonal bristles, cross bristles, soft, medium or hard, small, medium or large; and there are lots and lots of brands: Oral-B, Colgate, Crest, Aquafresh … What should you buy? As a rule of thumb, choosing one with a small head and soft bristles is recommended. This way, you can get into all the open spaces easily while not damaging your gums in the process. Otherwise — color, contour and price - well that’s up to you. As far as I can see, all that the toothbrush companies do is to make toothbrushes more attractive to sell, with supposed benefits vouched for by dental professionals. However, if you keep the above tips in mind, you’re all right.

It’s recommended that you change out your toothbrush every few months. The recommended time period for brushing your teeth is 2 minutes. There is no particular sequence to brushing your teeth, but you should be thorough in covering all surfaces, brush up and in circles, and be gentle — don’t damage your teeth or gums. Cover the edge of your gums, since the bristles of your brush will go underneath the edge of your gum, cleaning the teeth there as well.

Flossing is easy. Take out a strip of floss (or a flossing stick) and, one after another, floss between your teeth and as far as possible under the edge of each tooth, where it meets the gums. Bacteria can be stuck here.

Brushing your teeth or chewing gum after eating also helps maintain clean teeth and gums.

Basically, your dentist will urge you to:

a) Brush your teeth thoroughly on a daily basis.
b) Floss your teeth completely every day.
c) See your dentist at least once every 6 months.

If you have any further questions on taking care of your teeth at home, ask your local dental expert.

This information about Care of Teeth and Gums was provided by Greenbelt, MD Dentists .