So you go to the dentist twice a year for your regular cleanings and exams. You avoid too much coffee, you don’t smoke, and you always drink your soda through a straw. You always brush your teeth last thing in the evening before you go to bed and first thing in the morning when you wake up. Your mouth is the picture of dental health, right?

Maybe not.

People who brush their teeth regularly don’t always know how to brush teeth properly, and brushing alone might not be enough to give you the healthiest mouth possible. Here are a few extra tips on how to take care of your teeth and gums.

• Hold your brush diagonal to your gum line, rather than parallel or perpendicular. This increases the effectiveness of your toothbrush bristles, no matter what configuration they’re in.
• Think about your routine and your pattern when you brush your teeth. Do you start on the fronts and work your way back? Do you go right to left? Whatever your normal technique, take another pass at your teeth, but try to reverse the entire process.
• To brush is human… to floss, divine. If you’re not already doing it, make flossing every bit as regular as your brushing, as dental floss can reach the places no toothbrush can. It doesn’t matter whether you do it before or after you brush, as long as you do it.
• Don’t just put the floss between your teeth and pull it out again. Make a kind of C-shape with the floss and try to cover as much of the hidden surface of the tooth as you can (like a shoeshiner pulls the rag over the surface area of a shoe).
• Brushing your tongue can go a long way towards taming your dragon breath each morning, but so can brushing the roof of your mouth and the insides of your cheeks.

Knowing how to care for teeth and gums is about more than just knowing how to brush teeth. Knowing why you do the things you do in your mouth can go a long way towards keeping your mouth healthy and happy. Continue reading here. Continue. Read more about this topic at this link.