A good dental hygiene for healthy teeth and gums requires a good toothbrush and toothpaste . Nowadays toothbrushes come in all shapes and sizes, from the basic ones to those powered by electricity or sonic waves. Designs, styles and bristle heads (from basic to tufted), angled heads, etc. allow your dental hygienist the choice to prescribe the right one for your mouth.

The best toothbrushes usually carry the Seal of Acceptance, awarded by a recognized Dental Association of your country, only to products tested for safety, effectiveness, and accuracy of claims by manufacturers of dental care product

The size of you oral cavity and gum sensitivity should dictate your choice of a good toothbrush. A soft brush with rounded end, polished bristles of the correct size and shape to fit your mouth and reach every tooth is recommended against a hard bristle one that can damage your gums.

If the bristles become frayed at any time, the brush should be replaced, as old, worn toothbrushes may hold harmful bacteria that can provoke gum disease. Usually you should replace your brush at least every 4 months to enjoy good dental health. More frequent replacement of children's toothbrushes due to wear is recommended. Replacement indicators in some new brushes prompt you to change your brush. It is also a good idea to replace your toothbrush after an illness.

Powered toothbrushes come with various features:
Head sizes, bristle rotations, speed settings. Each manufacturer has its own set of instructions that must be followed for proper use of the brushes. Your dentist can guide you for proper and effective brushing, usually recommending slow movements and a soft touch for best results in cleaning your teeth.

The elderly or disabled with limited use of their hands can benefit from the convenience of electric toothbrushes. Parents should supervise their small children using such brushes.

Tooth loss caused by tooth decay and gum disease can be prevented by brushing your teeth regularly at least twice a day after meals. A good fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristle brush should be used to remove food particles and plaque build-up. Damaged or old brushes should be replaced regularly.

Brushing against the gum line at a 45-degree angle in half-tooth strokes on the outer and inner surfaces is recommended.

Hold the brush flat and brush back and forth on chewing surfaces.

	Tilt brush vertically and use gentle up-and-down strokes with brush on inside surfaces of front teeth.

Your tongue needs to be brushed in a back-to-front scraping movement to freshen your mouth and remove any food particles stuck to it.

It's better to use a brush with soft synthetic bristles, as natural bristles are more porous and accumulate bacteria from the mouth.

Choose the right size, smaller rather than larger for better cleaning as it's easier to place the bristles at a 45 degree angle and slide the tips of the brush under the gums.

	Brush gently so that the bristles can remove any plaque under the gum. All sides must be brushed chewing surfaces of the teeth, outside and the tongue side.

The inside surfaces of the lower and upper jaws must be brushed by tilting the brush vertically and moving the brush in up and down strokes against the gum tissues and teeth. You must change the position of your brush and it will clean only one or two teeth at a time.

	A 3-minute thorough brushing at least twice a day, around bedtime and after breakfast, will greatly reduce plaque damage to your teeth. The brushing should not be too vigorous or with a hard bristled toothbrush as this can cause your gums to recede and expose root surfaces, leading to tooth sensitivity and wearing down of tooth structure.

Bedtime brushing is the most important one as all the bacteria and sugar accumulated during the day will have all night to damage your teeth.

The simple fact is that when you are asleep there is less saliva than during the day to help keep your mouth clean. Therefore brushing before bedtime is very important.

Use a small brush with soft, round-tipped bristles to effectively remove the plaque that forms every day on the inner, outer and chewing surfaces of the child's teeth and gums.

Usually an adult supervision is required; children under the age of 10 do not have the proper manual dexterity to do a proper and thorough brushing.

As plaque is the number one cause of tooth decay or gum disease, it is recommended to replace brushes when the bristles are frayed or bent. Flossing or some form of between-the-teeth cleaning coupled with a thorough brushing is the best way to remove plaque from the tooth surface.

Your toothbrush can carry germs causing frequent sore throats and colds. To prevent this from happening it is wise to change to a new toothbrush at the outset of a cold and discard it for a new one when you are back to normal health. Germs tend to favor thick, soft-bristled toothbrushes and they also stick to brush handles. Clear brush handles that let light through help in the reduction of light-sensitive viruses.

Without daily flossing particles of food remain in the mouth and collect bacteria. These food particles on the tongue, around the gums and in between teeth can rot, causing bad breath. Same applies to dentures that are not properly and regularly cleaned. The odor-causing bacteria can also provoke a persistent bad taste in the mouth which could be the warning sign of periodontal or gum disease. The gums are irritated by the toxins released by the bacteria. The colorless, sticky film of bacterial plaque can lead to the advanced stage of periodontal disease, damaging the gums, bone and other structures that support the teeth. This can be prevented by frequent checkups by your dentist followed by treatment.

Diminished flow of saliva leads to xerostomia or dry mouth, and since saliva is necessary to cleanse the mouth and remove food particles that cause odor, bad breath results. Continuous breathing through the mouth, various medications or salivary gland problems may also cause dry mouth.

There is a high incidence of periodontal disease in tobacco users as tobacco stains teeth, causes bad breath, irritates gum tissues and even reduces a user's ability to taste foods.

Bad breath is also associated with various medical disorders such as diabetes, gastrointestinal disturbance (helicobacter infection), liver and kidney ailments, local infection in the respiratory tract (lungs, windpipe, throat, nose), chronic sinusitis, postnasal drip and chronic bronchitis.

A good oral health by eliminating periodontal disease is vital in reducing bad breath. Regular dental visits for checkup and cleaning are necessary. If bad breath persists, make a list medication you take and foods you eat as these may be associated to bad mouth odors.

Foods such as garlic and onions also cause breath odor. The food, once absorbed in the bloodstream, is transferred to the lungs where it is expelled in the breath. The usual oral hygiene can only mask the odor temporarily until the body eliminates the food completely. Infrequent eating habits of dieters can also contribute to objectionable bad breath.

Removing food debris and plaque by brushing twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste will help. Also necessary is brushing your tongue and flossing or using an interdental cleaner between the teeth. Removable dentures should be taken out at night and thoroughly cleaned before replacing them in the morning.

The effect of mouthwashes on bad breath is short-lived. Consult your dentist if odor persists after frequent use of breath freshener. The dentist may recommend a special antimicrobial mouth rinse to control plaque. Tooth decay can be prevented by the use of a fluoride mouth rinse after brushing and flossing.

Bad breath and bleeding gums are the most common symptoms of periodontal disease which is degenerative and leads to loss of teeth by slowly damaging the supporting bone structure of surrounding teeth.

To insure healthy gums and long lasting teeth the simple oral hygiene of flossing must be performed daily. It is as necessary as brushing for a healthy mouth, yet most people avoid doing it on a regular basis.

To address the problem of periodontal disease-causing dental plaque, a multitude of new toothbrush designs, toothpaste and mouth rinse products are now available on the market. But a simple brushing and daily flossing is quite an effective way to reduce plaque build-up.

Flossing the rear area of the teeth is the most difficult part of the daily routine and is often a good excuse for some not to floss at all! Granted it is a challenge to reach those areas with fingers having to go further inside the oral cavity and knuckles scraping against the front teeth. Your jaw and mouth have a limited opening expansion and it is indeed difficult to place fingers of both hands inside the mouth to floss the rear teeth.

Wind a piece of floss of 12-18 inches in length around your index finger of each hand. Hold firmly between the index finger and thumb, leaving about an inch of floss in the middle. Guide the floss between the upper teeth with the thumbs and direct the floss between the lower teeth with the index fingers.

Make the floss curve around the tooth and gently slide it up and down the side of the tooth and under the gum line.After cleaning each side of the tooth, wrap the floss around the finger of one hand and unwrap it on the other for advanced flossing. Continue to floss the side of each tooth in the same flossing position until completed. Several brands of floss are available on the market, some even with flavors. Again, the best way to remove plaque and food particles between teeth and below the gum line is by daily flossing.As you proceed, unwind clean floss and always floss behind the last tooth.

It is normal to experience sore or bleeding gums for the first few days you floss, but if bleeding continues beyond the first week, visit your dentist. For those who cannot handle floss properly, there are floss holders or other devices for cleaning between the teeth.

It is very important to wrap the floss around the tooth and use a new section for each contact when flossing. This allows you to go below the gum line and remove plaque in areas that the toothbrush does not reach. Using a new section each time prevents the spread of bacteria from one area to another.


	Brush gently so that the bristles can remove any plaque under the gum. All sides must be brushed: chewing surfaces of the teeth, outside and the tongue side.

The basic floss holder is the Y-shaped or forked prong device. The floss is strung tight between the two prongs (see picture above). The floss holder helps to access narrow areas difficult to reach with fingers but has several disadvantages: it cannot wrap around the tooth, it has to be used very carefully as the taut floss can cut the gums in front and back of the tooth, it is not practical to advance the used floss and cannot be used with bridges.

Halitosis or bad breath is generally a symptom that your mouth is unhealthy. The cause may be as simple as bad daily oral hygiene or it may be due to gum disease, tooth decay, or other medical problems such as gastro-intestinal or liver problems. Whatever the cause, it is important to consult a dentist.

Mouth odors are socially unacceptable, as you may have noticed when people shy away from those suffering from halitosis when talking. Bad breath is a sign that you are not taking good care of your health.

Usually, even if you're not aware of your bad breath, you'll get visible hints by the reaction of those close to you. Family members may tell you that you have bad breath and you should address this problem head on.

Covering bad breath with breath sprays, mints or mouth rinses will not eradicate the cause of your bad breath.- - you may just be covering other problems as well. Breath mints and hard candies with sugar will eventually lead to tooth decay. Only good oral hygiene can help cure your halitosis, if no other medical problems exist.

Bad breath can be so pronounced that you can even smell your own breath. A bad taste in your mouth compounds the problem. Regular brushing and flossing to remove food particles lodged between your teeth can diminish the problem.

Brushing after meals is as important as flossing to remove the tiny food particles wedged between teeth and below gum line. This should be followed by tongue brushing or scraping with a tongue scraper as bacteria collects on the tongue, provoking bad breath. Removable dentures should be cleaned and washed overnight.

Bad breath can become a symptom of more serious dental problems if oral hygiene is neglected over time. Bacteria settle in badly cleaned teeth, attacking them and causing cavities and gum disease, thus causing bad oral odor.

It is sometimes hard to clean in between crooked or crowded teeth and bad odor will result even with normal brushing and flossing.

Dentures also might trap food or irritate the mouth if not properly fitted, resulting in bad breath. Drainage of sinuses, gastrointestinal, kidney or liver problems or other medical conditions may also be the cause of halitosis.

If you do not have any oral problems except for the bad breath you could jot down the foods you're eating as the bad odor may come from such foods as garlic and onion that are absorbed into your blood stream and come out from your lungs as you breathe. Once the food is out of your blood stream your breath will come back to normal.

Dieting may also be a cause of halitosis as chemical changes occur when your body turns fat and protein into energy. Prescription or over-the counter medications can be another factor. A combination of all these factors may be causing your bad breath. For a good assessment your dentist should know all these facts as well as any changes in your general health.

Food particles are constantly being washed away by saliva. If you're suffering from dry mouth your dentist may recommend more fluids and sugarless candy to stimulate natural saliva. There are also some products available to fight dry mouth.

If no significant improvement is noticed in your bad breath condition after seeing your dentist, then a physical check-up by your regular doctor is advisable.

Your dentist can spot upcoming problems besides bad breath when you go for your regular dental check-ups to keep a healthy mouth.

The sticky, colorless deposit of bacteria on the teeth is called plaque. Fluids combine with food and saliva to form these deposits constantly which are the primary cause of gum (periodontal) disease.

It is important to brush your teeth at least twice and floss one daily as plaque starts forming on your teeth 4-10 hours after brushing. Plaque not removed by regular brushing can harden into calculus (tartar). Only a dentist can remove the unsightly crusty tartar deposit which makes it more difficult to treat new plaque and bacteria.

Timely diagnosis and treatment of periodontal (gum) disease by your dentist will prevent tooth loss in adults caused by plaque, which is painless.

Symptoms are rare at the outset of periodontal disease but red, swollen or bleeding gums, bad breath and loosening or separating teeth indicate an advanced stage of the disease.

The various forms and stages of periodontal disease are:

Gingivitis: Inflammation of the gums caused by plaque. Probing of red, sore gums may cause bleeding.

Periodontitis: The gum infection damages the bone and supporting tissues if not treated in time.

Advanced Periodontitis: Pus development coupled with bone loss continues with possibility of teeth loosening and falling out as the gum recede further and separate.