How to clean your teeth
Dental healthcare is so important! Take your time about it. Don’t hurry. We’ve already explained to you that tooth decay is an enemy we have to fight. The best way to do this is to always make sure your teeth are clean. What must you do to keep them clean? Brush them. Brushing your teeth serves to get rid of the remains of food that we have eaten or to eliminate the bacteria that attack teeth, which are found in bacterial plaque. It is also necessary to prevent gum disease.
When brushing your teeth, remember, you mustn’t hurry. You must follow a series of steps that will take you no more than three minutes in all.
Dental healthcare: Step by step
Brush your teeth in an orderly fashion, making sure you don’t miss a spot.
One: brush your teeth from top to bottom, starting at the gum, and then brushing upwards from the bottom of the tooth and outwards, as if you were using a broom. Brush the outer surface of the teeth as well as the inside, as shown in the diagram.
Two: brush the «tooth saddles» and molars we use to chew food with using a circular movement. The fibres of the toothbrush must penetrate all the tiny spaces between the teeth, to remove traces of food and prevent the bacteria from starting to cause tooth decay.
Three: brush the neck of the tooth without forgetting the spaces between one tooth and the next; to do this, it is sometimes necessary to clean this inter-dental area, where the brush cannot reach. In this case, we must use dental floss and pass it between the teeth or an interproximal brush.
Four: Don’t forget to brush your tongue. There are two allies to help you ensure proper dental hygiene: the toothbrush and the toothpaste.
Play the step by step game!
Toothbrush
An extremely important instrument for your teeth.
You most certainly will have seen a toothbrush before. The best toothbrush for brushing healthy teeth must be soft and small, with a long handle so that you can clean all the parts of your mouth.
Toothpaste
Toothpaste, the best ally for both your toothbrush and your teeth
This product has been specially made to help us brush our teeth. Apart from the toothbrush, which serves to remove traces of food that may become trapped between the teeth and the molars, we must use a good toothpaste.
Fluoride, the best way to fight tooth decay
An important element contained in toothpaste is fluoride, as this is the best agent to fight tooth decay. You have probably seen your school organising fluoridisation campaigns.
How often
- You must brush your teeth every day.
- We must brush our teeth after every meal.
- Brushing your teeth before you go to bed is the most important time of all, as we mustn’t go to sleep all night with traces of food between our teeth. If at some point we find ourselves without a toothbrush, a good remedy is to take a few gulps of water and eat a piece of fruit, such as an apple; or we can eat a carrot.
What must we never do?
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- We must never go to bed without brushing our teeth.
- We must never eat sweets or chocolate without brushing our teeth afterwards.
- We must never share our toothbrush with others. Everyone should have their own toothbrush.
Visiting the dentist
At least once a year.
If you buy your toothbrush or toothpaste at the chemist’s, the pharmacist will recommend the most suitable one for you, and explain how to use it properly for good dental healthcare. If you do everything your parents and the pharmacists tell you to do, you won’t have to visit the dentist so often, but even so you must pay the dentist a visit at least once a year, as it is very important to prevent disease.
Remember, if you take proper care of your teeth, you can help to fight tooth decay.