It was that time of year again- the annual teeth cleaning. I am the perhaps over-eager patient who sits in the reclined chair as the technician does the in-depth cleaning on my teeth I wish I could do myself. So, I ask a few questions (and by a few, I mean a lot) to learn as much as I can while in the company of the teeth guru. Here are two take-away tips that I discovered from this last session:

1.) It doesn’t matter if you floss before or after you brush your teeth, but if you want the best results you should floss directly after brushing, after you spit out all the foamy stuff but before you rinse your mouth. That way you are working the toothpaste down in between your teeth and gums when you floss- an added bonus.

2.) Don’t push to hard when you brush and always brush at a 45 degree angle. We are a little overzealous here in the West and tend to think that brushing harder makes our teeth cleaner, when in reality it leads to gum recession. In addition, the 45 degree angle insures that the gums are getting massaged the right way when you brush which makes them happy and healthy.

Proper oral hygiene is the best way to stave off bad breath, so try these tips and make sure to brush for at least two minutes twice a day. Okay, now I sound like the technician… I am done here. Happy brushing!