Oh Good – We're All Using Our Electric Toothbrushes Wrong
When it comes to brushing our teeth, we’ve got it nailed. Try not to scrub too hard, get the ones at the back and brush for at least two minutes. Easy, right?
Well, we hate to break it to you, but it turns out that we’re not quite there as one dental hygienist has taken to TikTok to point out all the ways we’re brushing our teeth wrong.
Sick of seeing people brush their teeth incorrectly, TikTok user Krysta Heath (@krystaroseheath) explained the best way to keep your dental hygiene in check when it comes to using an electric toothbrush.
In the now viral video, which has raked up an impressive 185k likes, Heath shared: “So many people use their electric toothbrush like it’s a manual toothbrush and they can do more harm than good, so I’m going to show you a simple way to brush your teeth and it’ll change everything.”
@krystaroseheath How to properly brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush ! #teeth#toothbrush#dental#fypシ
♬ original sound - Krysta
First things first – pick your electric toothbrush. Heath calls the Oral B I L the ‘Ferrari of toothbrushes’ if you’re looking for some inspiration!
Still using a manual brush? Heath has some words for you: “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get an electric brush, it’s gonna change the game for you.”
Once you’ve got your brush, place it at a 45 degree angle towards your gums.
Next, ‘split’ your mouth into four sections. “I use upper right, upper left, lower right, lower left,” Heath explains.
“I start on my back molar. If you can’t get all the way back there easily, you close down your mouth a little bit and your cheek will move out slightly.
“So when your toothbrush is accurate, you’re going to drag it along each tooth. You’re going to move it from tooth to tooth.”
Once you’ve covered the outside of those teeth, you move onto to the inside of them.
“Most people do not focus on the inside of their teeth. Do this more than the outside. Trust me, your hygienist will thank you,” she adds.
Inside and outsides covered? Time to move onto your ‘chewing surfaces’. Do this for each area of your mouth for thirty seconds and voila! You’ve done your two minutes of efficient brushing.
“Please do not scrub with your toothbrush, you are not cleaning grout,” Heath warns.
Her final point has us SPEECHLESS, so buckle up.
“Lastly, I’m going to throw this one in for free, if you rinse your mouth with water after brushing your teeth, you’ve just lost all of the benefits of the toothpaste.”
Err... okay, so maybe teeth brushing isn’t quite as easy as we thought.