How to use a toothbrush and dental floss

Taking care of your daily oral hygiene is very important: but how do you get the most out of your toothbrushes?

We all know that the main cause of tartar build-up and tooth decay is often down to not paying enough attention to cleaning our teeth. So what steps should we take to prevent these problems from arising? Two words: toothbrush and dental floss. Let’s see how to use them.

The toothbrush is a tool we are all very familiar with; it should be used after every meal, with particular care taken in the evening before going to bed. It is in fact during the night that we produce a large amount of saliva, which is also a cause of plaque build-up. The toothbrush should not be too hard (so as not to damage the enamel) and should be replaced every 2–3 months, as soon as the bristles start to bend. This is both to ensure effective cleaning and to prevent damage to the gums.

To brush your teeth properly, simply use slow, vertical back-and-forth movements, brushing each tooth individually on both the outer and inner surfaces; before rinsing your mouth, also brush your tongue to remove any residue.

Unfortunately, a toothbrush cannot reach everywhere: to clean between teeth, you therefore need to use dental floss. The floss should be slid between the sides of the teeth, first on one side and then on the adjacent one, taking care not to touch the gums so as not to injure them. It is recommended that you floss at least once every two days.

The electric toothbrush

Ever since 1996, with the arrival of the first Oral-B rotating toothbrushes, Dr Antonini and his team have sought to specialise in new technologies for daily oral hygiene. That is why, for over 20 years now, we have been offering our patients a selection of the best electric toothbrushes on the market, suitable for all budgets. The manual toothbrush is no longer considered the ideal tool for proper dental cleaning.