It's a habit drummed into us from an early age, but the recent news about flossing your teeth could be a waste of time has put the spotlight on oral hygiene.

    When it comes to oral hygiene, what should we be doing and which habits do we need to ditch?

    British Dental Association's scientific adviser Professor Damien Walmsley kindly put together this definitive list of "dos and don'ts."

    The best way to prevent tooth decay is to brush teeth twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque, limit the frequency, and amount of sugary food and drinks consumed in your diet, and see the dentist regularly.

    Don'ts

    1. Brush for not long enough – research indicates that people only brush for 45 seconds.

    2. Rinse the mouth after brushing – fluoride helps to prevent, control and even stop tooth decay, but rinsing the mouth out dilutes the concentration of fluoride. So spit, don't rinse.

    3. Brush too soon after eating – as enamel on teeth is softened after eating especially with sugary foods, it's best to wait an hour before brushing which allows the tooth to harden up more.

    4. Use a hard bristle toothbrush -- this can damage the soft tissues in the gums.

    5. Brush too hard – the bristles should lightly sweep the tooth.

    Dos

    1. Brush for at least two minutes, twice daily, with a fluoridated toothpaste. Brush last thing at night.

    2. Use a small headed toothbrush with medium bristles.

    3. Put a pea-sized blob of fluoride toothpaste on your toothbrush.

    4. Brush along the gum line as well as the teeth themselves.

    6. Brush all surfaces of the teeth, including the outer, inner and chewing surfaces as well as the hard-to-reach back teeth and areas around fillings, crowns or other restorations. If you have spaces between teeth, it is best to clean these with an interdental or single-tufted brush. Where the spaces between teeth are too tight to fit such a brush, use dental floss or tape.

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    摈弃

    bìnqì

    ditch

    get rid of, discard

    牙菌斑

    yájūnbān

    plaque

    a film of mucus and bacteria on a tooth surface

    怎样刷牙才是对的？

    我们从幼时就开始培养刷牙的习惯，但最近却有报道称用牙线纯属浪费时间，这也引发了人们对口腔卫生问题的关注。

    关于口腔卫生，究竟哪些是我们应该做的，又有哪些习惯是我们应该摒弃的？

    英国牙科协会的科学顾问达米恩?沃姆斯利教授为我们整理出了一份注意事项的清单。

    预防蛀牙的最好办法就是一天用含氟牙膏刷两次牙，因为含氟的牙膏可以帮助去除牙菌斑，除此以外还需要控制含糖饮食的次数和摄入量，并定期看牙医。

    该避免的事：

    1. 刷牙时间太短。研究发现很多人刷牙只刷45秒左右。

    2. 刷牙后使劲漱口。氟化物能预防、控制甚至让龋洞停止进一步发展，使劲漱口会稀释氟化物，所以直接吐出来就好了。

    3. 进食后立马刷牙。进食后——尤其是吃了甜食后——牙釉质会软化，所以最好过一个小时等待牙釉质恢复后再刷牙。

    4. 用硬毛牙刷。硬毛牙刷会伤害牙龈组织。

    5. 刷牙太使劲。刷毛应该轻轻扫过牙齿。

    应该做的事：

    1. 每天至少用含氟牙膏刷牙两次，每次两分钟。临睡前刷牙。

    2. 最好用中等硬度刷毛的小头牙刷。

    3. 只需要挤豌豆大小的含氟牙膏在牙刷上。

    4. 刷牙齿之外也要沿着牙龈线刷一下。

    5. 牙齿每一面都要清洁到，包括牙齿外面、里面和咀嚼面，别忘了刷难以够到的后槽牙和包括填充物和牙冠在内的修复牙体周围。如果你的牙齿间有缝隙，那最好用牙间刷或者单簇牙刷来刷牙缝。如果牙间缝隙很小容不下这种牙刷的话，可以使用牙线或洁牙带。