Know Your Teeth
Interested in learning more about what goes on inside your mouth? Here are some facts about your bite!

  • Crown
    The crown is the top portion of the tooth that you can see. Most of the time, this area is exposed outside the gums.
  • Enamel
    Enamel is the shiny, white outside layer of your tooth. Enamel is the toughest tissue in your body!
  • Dentin
    Dentin is located directly underneath your teeth's enamel. Dentin is stronger than bone.
  • Gums
    Gums are the pink, soft tissue that surrounds your teeth. It is important to brush your gums, tongue and inside cheeks, as well as your teeth!
  • Root
    The root is the area that holds your tooth inside your gums. It makes up most of your tooth and is embedded in BONE! You can have anywhere from 1 to 4 roots per tooth!
  • Pulp
    Pulp is the very center of your tooth. It contains your nerves and blood vessels. If you have a toothache it could be a cavity that has reached the pulp of your tooth.
  • Cementum
    Cementum covers the root of the tooth. It helps keep your tooth in place. Cementum is a tough yellow tissue.

Teeth Brushing 101 - Think you know how to brush your teeth? Think again! Read below to make sure you are giving plaque the brush off!

  1. Wet your toothbrush with water and apply a strip of toothpaste. (Use a smear of toothpaste for children under 2 and a pea-size amount for children 2-5 years old.) Try to use fluoride toothpaste if possible for children over 2.
  2. Begin with your top back teeth (molars) on your left side. Point the bristles of the toothbrush at a slight angle towards your gums and use a circular motion. Work in a clockwise direction for 20 seconds.
  3. After you are finished brushing your left side, use a technique called the 'roll-away' to sweep the bristles downwards off the teeth. Similar to sweeping your kitchen floor, you are 'sweeping' the food and particles off your teeth!
  4. Continue brushing your teeth in a circular pattern and repeat for the lower portion of your teeth. After you are finished each tooth section, repeat the 'roll-away' technique on that area.
  5. Using the tip of your toothbrush, brush the upper back (side your mouth) surface of your teeth.  Flick the bristles down the tooth. Repeat 3 times. Do the opposite motions for your bottom teeth. Flick the bristle upwards away from the gums. Repeat 3 times.
  6. Next brush the biting surfaces of your upper and lower teeth using a circular motion.
  7. Brush your tongue and inside cheeks for 30 seconds with a gentle circle motion.
  8. Rinse with water or mouthwash! Repeat three times a day!

Want to practice your brushing? These great games will keep you practicing!

Flossing 101 - Ready to check on your flossing techniques? Let's see if you're a pro or if you are getting tongue tied!

  1. Cut off a piece of floss about 18" long. Wind most of the floss around your middle finger and the rest around your opposite middle finger. Your thumb and forefingers will hold most of the floss.
  2. Gently move the floss between your teeth. Be sure to NEVER snap the floss into your gums. Gently curve the floss into a C shape when it reaches the gum line. Slide it into the spaces between the tooth and the gums.
  3. To properly floss, you need to hold the floss against the tooth and gently rub up and down. Don't forget to back side of your last tooth. Flossing should be done once a day.