Most adults need a better tooth whitening routine or are not brushing their teeth properly, leading to problematic tartar buildup. When it comes to having whiter teeth, the removal of plaque and preventing tartar buildup is an essential in your oral hygiene routine. The secret to having healthy and whiter teeth start with regular flossing and brushing your teeth. If you want to learn how to brush your teeth properly, then keep reading to learn how you can have the best teeth whitening results, at home.
How to Brush Your Teeth
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How to Hold the Toothbrush
The first tip to getting your whiter teeth is to make sure you are holding the toothbrush correctly. It is recommended to hold the toothbrush in a firm grasp, without using too much force, to get the most flexibility and least force possible to clean your teeth. If you hold the toothbrush too tightly, you may end up putting to much force on your teeth while brushing, causing your gums to bleed.
You also want to the hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle while brushing the exterior side of your teeth. You want to maintain 45-degree angle throughout brushing the front of your teeth and switch to a vertical angle when you start brushing the interior side of your teeth.
Related: 8 Simple Ways to Get Healthy Teeth and Good Smile
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Brushing Direction and Technique
Some maybe surprised to realize that they should brush certain sections of their teeth at a time. The proper teeth cleaning or teeth whitening routine should start by cleaning the outer surfaces of the upper teeth and then moving down to the lower row of teeth. After your outer surfaces are clean, you will want to clean the inner surfaces of your teeth, starting with the upper row and finishing with the lower row of teeth. After you have cleaned both the interior and exterior surfaces of your teeth, you will want to sanitize the chewing surfaces and finally end with your tongue.
As stated previously, you want to maintain a 45-degree angle with your toothbrush and make wide, gentle strokes across the width of the teeth. You should not stop at teeth cleaning only, however, you should always clean your tongue as well as your teeth to get the best dental care routine. You want to use gentle strokes while cleaning your tongue to prevent damaging the surface.
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How Often
Most experts recommend brushing your teeth for 2 minutes at least twice a day. Preferably, you should try to brush your teeth after every meal. Most adults do not brush their teeth long enough to adequately clean their teeth and mouth or protect bacterial growth.
Related: 16 Everyday Uses for Toothpaste – That Don’t Involve Your Teeth
Flossing
For those of you who want whiter teeth, you must start adding flossing to your dental care routine to clean the gaps between the teeth and prevent plaque buildup. Flossing your teeth is a crucial part of having healthy teeth and gums and through preventing tooth decay.
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Types of Floss
There are many types of dental flosses out there, each with its own unique design that will fit the needs of anyone. The most common type of dental floss is a mint-flavored waxed floss. Waxed flosses are best for fitting in between too close together teeth, as the wax acts as a lubricant. The mint-flavor can help freshen breath in between meals or throughout the day.
For people who have large gaps between their teeth, you can find super dental floss that will help clean plaque build-up and prevent teeth stains. There is also special equipment, called floss threaders, that can help you get the floss in between braces or under permanent retainers, to clean those hard to reach places.
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How to Use Floss Correctly
To floss correctly, you usually want to get a long, 18-inch section of dental floss and wrap it around your two middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches of floss free. You want to thread the 2 inches of floss in between your fingers through the sides of your teeth, wrapping it around your thumb and index finger, and floss in a gentle zig-zag motion to adequately clean your teeth.
You want to use a clean part of the floss for each tooth, to prevent cross contamination of your dirty floss with clean teeth.
Related: How to Properly Care for Children’s Teeth
Teeth Tartar
Teeth tartar, also known as dental calculus, is a buildup of plaque on the teeth that traps stains and causes discoloration. Tarter can be one of the bigger reasons why you need a tooth whitening regime, because tarter can greatly discolor your teeth and cause tooth decay.
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What Causes Tartar Buildup
Tartar buildup results after dental plaque has been left to grow on your teeth and isn’t cleaned away through brushing your teeth or flossing. Dental plaque is an extremely sticky, pale yellow, substance that clings to the surface of your teeth after eating, drinking, and salivating, that must be cleaned off through regular brushing and flossing. Tarter is a consequence of dental plaque buildup that has been left to grow and calcify on the surfaces of teeth and is extremely difficult to remove once it has hardened and bonded to the tooth.
Carbohydrates, simple sugars, and food high in sugar can all lead to plaque and dental calculus build-up.
Related: 14 Incredible Dental Hygiene Tips to Keep Your Teeth Healthy
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Traditional Methods for Removing Buildup
One of the easiest ways you can remove tartar build-up on your teeth, is by going to your local dentist or dental hygienist to get a deep, ultrasonic teeth cleaning. A trip to the dentist for a teeth cleaning can also help your teeth whitening efforts. Unfortunately, these trips to the dentist for ultrasonic teeth cleaning can be time consuming and expensive. Obviously, you should practice good oral hygiene and strive to have healthy teeth through regular brushing and flossing at home.
Some toothpastes can help with preventing dental calculus or plaque buildup, but they can only do so much after the plague has hardened on the surface. You can also manually remove the tartar build-up on your own at home, but this method will take a very long time and will not be able to reach all of the plague in between the teeth and under the gums. Besides being time consuming, manually removing the hard tartar buildup on your teeth can damage your gums, leading to painful bleeding gums.
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Home Remedies
There are a few devices that you can buy to help remove unsightly teeth stains and tartar buildup at home, Uniharpa Electric Dental Calculus Remover. This device is perfect for anyone who doesn’t have the time to go to a dentist for a deep cleaning every month. The Dental Calculus Remover is both cost and time efficient when compared to a dentist and can help you get healthier teeth at home. It is portable and only must be used once a month to see its teeth whitening effects. It must be noted however, that the Dental Calculus Remover should not be used as a replacement for a trip to the dentist for ultrasonic teeth cleaning. Dental calculus removers cannot eliminate all tartar buildup, nor can it clean those hard to reach areas of your mouth. Instead, you should use the dental calculus removers to chip away at your tartar buildup in between dentist appointments, allowing you to reduce the amount of trips to the dentist.
Related: Great Tips and Tricks for Denture Wearers
Conclusion
In conclusion, when it comes to whiter teeth, there is no method better for tartar removal than regularly brushing and flossing your teeth. Routine trips to the dentist for an ultrasonic teeth cleaning is also essential for healthy teeth and gums and a whiter smile, even though they can be inconvenient. To prevent plaque buildup, floss your teeth at least twice a day or after every meal, and brush your teeth with proper form for 2 minutes twice a day. If you have a lot of plaque buildup, look into buying an electric dental calculus remover to help you slowly eliminate the tartar buildup on and between your teeth. With these tips, you are sure to have a whiter smile in no time.
