Saturday, January 12, 2013

Steps to a Whiter, Brighter Smile

Correct Your Angle - To reach the crevices between teeth and gums, hold your brush at a 45-degree angle at the gum line and move the handle slightly; the brush bristles should stay mostly in one place. Work your way around, hitting every surface. Don't miss the lingual surface -- the inner side, closest to your tongue. It's a breeding ground for plaque.

Brush in the Right Direction - Brushing toward your gums will push the gum tissue back, making your gum line recede. On the upper teeth, you want to be brushing downward. On the lower teeth you want to be brushing upward.

Use a Gentle Grip - A lot of people use tremendous force when brushing their teeth, and they will eventually have gum tissue that's worn away and that exposes the root surface. Hold the brush like a pen.

Nuke Your Brush - If you use a manual brush, you can eliminate germs by microwaving it, researchers in Brazil found. They submerged brushes in a cup of clean water and the microwaved them in a 650-watt microwave for 60 seconds. After, the brushes emerged germ-free. If your microwave is 1,100 watts, go for 35 seconds. Do this every week or two.

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