How do you take care of your teeth properly?

These tablets are so-called plaque tests, which help you to improve your oral hygiene. The dark-coloured areas show you where there are plaque deposits and where you need to brush again. Proper brushing is not a matter of course and needs to be learned.

Careful and good oral hygiene starts with clean teeth. But how do you brush your teeth properly? In the following, we will show you how to clean your teeth properly.

Why do you need to take care of your teeth?

Depending on your age and lifestyle, your teeth need a certain amount of care. This is because your dental health is also related to your overall health. As a result, people who take good care of their teeth (dentures) every day have a low risk of health problems. Therefore, you need to maintain a routine for oral health care at home.

In addition, your brushing technique will develop over the years because your eating and living habits as well as the development of your dentition will influence it.

If you have periodontal disease (e.g. periodontitis) or caries, your dental care should be different from that of a person with optimal dental health. Current stress factors also influence oral care because they affect oral flora and saliva flow.

Plus, if you do not remove plaque, a film of bacteria, it turns into tartar, which sticks to the root of the tooth. Plaque and tartar irritate and inflame the gums, leading to gum disease (gingivitis).

Dental care for clean teeth

There are countless techniques for brushing teeth correctly. But the basic rule when cleaning with a manual toothbrush is that you should not apply too much pressure on it. In the past, a circular motion was recommended ("Fones technique"). However, this technique is now considered outdated and experts recommend brushing your teeth using the so-called "Bass method" or "Stillmann technique" - also called the sweeping technique.

This involves applying very light pressure to the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums. With the "Bass method", you should gently move it back and forth, loosening the plaque from the tooth and, as far as possible, from the spaces between the teeth. This should be used to clean all surfaces of the tooth.

With the "Stillmann technique", the movement starts with the bristles on the gums and the bristle field is rolled down towards the tooth. The important thing here is always from the gum to the tooth, i.e. from red to white. This brushing technique should sweep the dirt from the tooth. On the chewing surfaces, the toothbrush should simply be moved back and forth.

The electric toothbrush enables even more thorough dental care. Especially with the so-called sonic toothbrushes, the ultrasonic function allows you to reach places that cannot be reached with a normal toothbrush. Many electric toothbrushes also have support functions so that you don't apply too much pressure or a vibration tone sounds after 30 seconds so that you brush the next row of teeth. The basic rule with an electric toothbrush is to brush systematically over the outer, inner and chewing surfaces of the teeth. Depending on the size of the toothbrush head, each tooth can also be brushed individually for a few seconds.

Prevent gingivitis

To combat gum disease, you can use fluoride toothpaste, which strengthens tooth enamel. Gum disease starts when dental caries and bacterias build up along and under your gum line. This can lead to bleeding gums. Furthermore, regular dental check-ups with your dental hygienist can improve your dental health and prevent gum disease.

How often should you brush your teeth?

It is best to brush your teeth after every meal, but at least twice a day for at least two minutes. The tooth staining tablets mentioned at the beginning of this article can help you to check your teeth. They make the remaining plaque visible so that you can see where you need to brush again. If you have cleaned your teeth thoroughly, no discolouration will be visible on the tooth surfaces. These tablets are available in pharmacies.

Too frequent dental care, as well as excessive care of the gums, does more harm than good. But it is more important to be thorough when brushing your teeth. Thorough cleaning means flossing once a day to clean the spaces between teeth and keep healthy teeth. In addition to cleaning the interdental spaces is to purchase an interdental brush, which makes this cleaning of the interdental spaces a little more manageable.

Mouthwashes should not be used as a substitute for brushing or flossing and are only considered to support oral hygiene.

After consuming acidic foods and drinks, wait at least twenty minutes before cleaning your teeth. This is because acid attacks tooth enamel and if you also clean it in its "vulnerable state", you are more likely to damage it.

You should also pay attention to the ingredients of toothpaste. Fluoride is important because it provides additional protection against tooth decay (dental caries). However, there are also substances such as triclosan, which are rather harmful and do not necessarily belong in toothpaste. Find out here what you should look for when buying toothpaste.

The right dental care for children

As children's teeth and oral cavities are constantly developing, proper cleaning is also necessary for optimal dental hygiene. It is important to use a children's toothbrush and toothpaste. The brush head of the children's toothbrush is softer and smaller, so plaque can be carefully removed from the teeth. In addition, children should use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and the fluoride content in children's toothpaste needs to be lower. Because too much fluoride at a young age can lead to dental fluorosis.

Bad breath despite regular dental care?

Do you have bad breath even though you brush your teeth regularly? To learn more about bad breath and its causes, read this article. However, we would like to say that brushing your teeth is not the only thing you need to do to keep your breath fresh. It's also important to remove plaque from your tongue with a tongue scraper or toothbrush and dental floss to remove food particles from between your teeth. This can also combat gum disease. Moreover, regular dentistry checkups are vital for good oral health.

Dental care with Alpine White

With our dental care products, we want to provide you with optimal oral care and healthy teeth. In addition, our products have been developed and tested in Switzerland with experts. The Whitening Toothpastes are available in three different varieties. With our Toothpastes, we ensure gentle dental and oral hygiene. Our other products also care for the oral cavity and support your oral health.

In addition, the dental treatments in our Studios in Switzerland can optimally promote your oral hygiene.