307-634-3488
Brush and floss

To earn a winning smile you must brush and floss correctly every day.

Brushing and flossing daily is important if you want a winning smile. But achieving and maintaining a winning smile, cannot be accomplished unless you brush and floss correctly.

To brush and floss effectively, Davis Dental recommends using:

  • A toothbrush with soft, rounded bristles – replace your toothbrush about every two months.
  • A fluoride toothpaste
  • Floss – waxed, unwaxed, flavored, unflavored, floss picks or oral irrigators, any type is fine. Read Which Type of Floss is Best for more information.

How to brush and floss your teeth effectively

Brushing:

  1. For the outside and inside surfaces of your teeth, place the bristles of your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gumline.
  2. Use just enough pressure to feel bristles against your gums and between teeth, without squishing the bristles against your teeth and gumline.
  3. Brush inner and outer tooth surfaces, using short, circular strokes. Brush along the gumline, too.
  4. Scrub each of the four sections gently for about 30 seconds, for a total of 2 minutes.
  5. Since your toothbrush can only clean one or two teeth at a time, move your brush often to reach every spot on every tooth.
  6. To clean the inside surfaces of your front teeth, tilt the toothbrush vertically. Brush with the front of your toothbrush making up-and-down strokes.
  7. Brush the chewing surfaces of your molars straight on.

Tips: Watch yourself in the mirror while brushing. It will help to make sure you are not missing brushing any teeth. Also, brush your tongue. Oral bacteria can hide in your taste buds.

Flossing:

  1. Tear off an 18-inch string of floss. Wind most of it around one of your middle fingers and enough of the rest to keep it secure around the same finger on your other hand.
  2. Hold floss tightly with about 1 inch of floss between your fingers. Glide floss between teeth with a gentle sawing motion. Try not to “pop” the floss into your gums. It smarts.
  3. When the floss reaches your gumline, gently form the floss into a C against your tooth.
  4. While holding the floss in the shape of a C against your tooth, gently scrape the side of the tooth with an up-and-down motion. Repeat for all teeth, even the sides of your molars in the very back.

If you haven’t been flossing regularly every day, your gums may bleed and feel a little tender. Keep at it! The bacteria that has been building up will be removed, and your gums will feel great in about 5 or 6 days.

When you’re done brushing and flossing, rinse your mouth vigorously to get rid of loosened plaque and food particles.

There is no better time to start earning a winning smile than now. Davis Dental recommends brushing twice a day, after breakfast and again at bedtime, and flossing once a day at bedtime. We encourage you to brush more often especially after snacking on high-carbohydrate foods, eating candy or drinking sugary beverages. Remember, acids begin to decay your tooth enamel within 20-minutes of eating.

To achieve a winning smile you must brush and floss correctly every day. Six-month dental cleanings are an important part of maintaining a winning smile as well as your overall health. Call Davis Dental at (307) 634-3488 today. Schedule an appointment and let us help you maintain a winning smile you can be proud of.


Quality Dental Care for Your Whole Family

3249 Sparks Road

Cheyenne, WY 82001

(307) 634-3488

Open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm