Oral Care Tips

Toothbrushing is very important

Tools for toothbrushing

  • Toothbrush - tool for teeth cleaning

    The head of the toothbrush cannot be too big. A toothbrush head with a length of a 50-cent coin is most suitable for primary school students. Remember to use it to brush daily in the morning and at night before bed!

    Photograph of a tooth brush head comparing with the diameter of a Hong Kong 50-cent coin.

  • Toothpaste - agent for teeth cleaning

    Fluoride toothpaste should be used. Fluoride helps strengthen the teeth and prevent tooth decay. A very small amount of toothpaste, about the size of a pea is enough.

    Photograph of a pea-sized blob of toothpaste on a tooth brush head.

Toothbrushing method

  1. Use a pea sized blob of fluoride toothpaste

    Photograph of a pea-sized blob of toothpaste on a tooth brush head.

  2. Hold your brush at an angle to the teeth and gum margin

    Photograph of a toothbrush head placing with the tips of the bristles tilted at an angle towards the gingival margin.

  3. Brush the outer surfaces of two to three teeth at a time in back-and-forth motion. Brush each group of teeth for at least 10 strokes. Remember not to brush too hard, otherwise you will hurt your teeth and gum

    Animation showing a tooth brush brushing the outer surfaces of upper teeth.

  4. Then place the toothbrush at the inner surfaces of teeth. Brush two to three teeth at a time and repeat the teeth cleaning motion

    Animation showing a tooth brush brushing the inner surfaces of lower teeth.

  5. When cleaning the inner surfaces of front teeth, place the toothbrush vertically and brush from the gum towards the crown of the teeth

    Animation showing a tooth brush brushing the inner surfaces of upper front teeth.

  6. Lastly, we need to clean the chewing surfaces of teeth. Place the toothbrush on the chewing surface and brush back and forth

    Animation showing a tooth brush brushing the chewing surfaces of lower teeth.

  7. Remember to clean all three surfaces (outer surfaces, inner surfaces and chewing surfaces) of your upper and lower teeth

    Photograph of a boy brushing his teeth.

Dental floss is very useful

Toothbrushing doesn’t clean the adjacent tooth surfaces of teeth (that are surfaces in between teeth)

Photograph showing that abundant plaque is accumulated on the adjacent surfaces of upper and lower front teeth.

Dental floss is your good help. Remember to use it daily to clean the adjacent tooth surfaces of teeth.

Let’s learn to use dental floss together

  1. Tie up a loop with a piece of dental floss that is about 20cm to 25cm long

  2. Control the dental floss with your thumbs and index fingers

    Animation showing the use of thumbs and the forefingers of both hands to hold a portion of dental floss, leaving about 2 cm in between.

  3. Pull the dental floss in left and right motions and slide it down between teeth

    Animation showing a sawing motion to pull the floss into the interdental space of lower teeth.

  4. Pull the dental floss onto the adjacent tooth surface of one side of the gap, and pull it in up and down motions to clean the tooth surface

    Animation continued from the previous motion that the floss is wrapped around a tooth making a “C” shape and is gently slid up and down against the tooth. Then the floss is wrapped around another adjacent surface of the tooth to repeat the up and down motions.
  5. Pull the dental floss onto the adjacent tooth surface of the other side of the gap, and pull it in up and down motions to clean the other tooth surface
  6. Repeat the above procedures until every adjacent tooth surface is cleaned

Before you know how to use dental floss, you can ask your parents for help.

Besides the flossing method mentioned above, you may also use the ‘floss holder’ to clean the adjacent tooth surface. The cleaning method is the same, only that you do not need to hold the dental floss by your fingers. The floss is already pulled taut on the holder.