Want to Improve Your Oral Health? Here’s the Drill

By Stuart Foxman

• Sleek contours, smooth turns, power features—is it a toothbrush or a sportscar? Today’s brushes have snazzy designs, but what you brush with doesn’t matter as much as how you brush.  There are two keys, “time and technique,” says Joanna Asadoorian, assistant professor at the School of Dental Hygiene, University of Manitoba. Two to three minutes should do the job, and make that time count by brushing well. The Canadian Dental Association recommends that you (1) brush at a 45-degree angle to your teeth; (2) direct the bristles where your gums and teeth meet; (3) use a gentle, circular motion, up and down; and (4) clean every surface, top, front and back.



• Give your pearly whites a change of pace. Most people brush the same way all the time, which means they consistently miss the same spots, too. Try changing your usual brushing pattern.



• Would you consider yourself clean if you only bathed two-thirds of your body, or washed two-thirds of your hands? Expand your dental care floss-ophy. Daily flossing removes plaque (the main cause of gum disease) and bacteria that you can’t reach with your brush, between your teeth and under the gum line. If you don't floss, you’re missing more than one third of your tooth surface.



• A good diet benefits your dental nutrition as well as your general health. Tooth-friendly foods include whole grain breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables, lean meats, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, cheese, plain yogurt and popcorn.



• Look at sweets as an irritating party guest—it’s the length of time they stick around that’s the problem. Beyond minimizing sweets, try to reduce the time your teeth are exposed to them.  Either brush after eating or try eating sweets only at mealtime, when the amount of saliva produced will help protect your teeth.



• Some studies show ties between the oral bacteria that can enter your bloodstream and serious health problems—heart disease, strokes, diabetes and premature birth. “We still don’t know a lot, but there are some associations,” says Asadoorian.