Proper teeth brushing technique is very important because if you are brushing your teeth the wrong way, you can actually cause more harm to your teeth than good. Here's how not to brush your teeth.

How Not to Brush Your Teeth

Many people use the push hard from side to side technique. This is bad for a number of reasons. The first is that if you brush your teeth too hard, you scrape off tooth enamel which protects your teeth from daily use.

Brushing too hard also puts too much pressure on your gums. It can cause your gums to recede too far down. If they get down too far it's possible you'll have to get a gum tissue graft surgery, where they take tissue from somewhere else in your mouth and put it where your gums used to be. It's very painful and can easily be avoided by brushing properly.

The side to side technique doesn't work well because it doesn't get the bristles between your teeth. If you don't get tartar out from between your teeth it builds up to form plaque. If too much plaque builds up then it can cause gum disease.

How to Properly Brush Your Teeth

To properly brush your teeth you have to get in between the teeth to get any food particles that may be stuck in there. For best results, you should floss before you brush your teeth to loosen up food particles and make it easier to get them out of your mouth. To brush your teeth the right way, follow these steps:

• Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums
• Gently move your toothbrush back and forth in short tooth-wide strokes. This allows the bristles to get in between your teeth.
• Once you are done with the first few teeth move on the next until you've brushed each tooth.
• To get the back of your teeth, tilt the toothbrush vertically and move it up and down.