The two most important aspects of an effective at-home dental hygiene program are frequency and technique. In other words, it's important that you brush at least twice a day, floss once a day-and do both correctly.

Below are eight tips to make the most of the time you spend brushing and flossing. After all, you're doing it anyway, so you might as well do it right!

First, floss each and every day, preferably at night, to remove food and bacteria from the vulnerable areas between your teeth. Any floss can do the job; choose one that you like.

Use a toothbrush with soft bristles. They are just as effective at cleaning teeth as their hard-bristled counterparts, yet they're much gentler on gums and tooth enamel.

To brush properly, hold the head of the brush at a 45-degree angle to your gums, use firm but gentle pressure, and move the bristles around all surfaces of each tooth using small, circular movements. Overlap as you move from one tooth to the next.

Use the tip of the toothbrush to clean the backsides of your upper and lower front teeth.

Develop a brushing pattern that works for you and stick to it. This will ensure that you clean every surface of every tooth each time you brush.

After you've brushed your teeth, gently brush your tongue, from back to front. Rinse your brush and then carefully brush the roof of your mouth. This will remove a good deal of bacteria and will help to keep your breath fresh.

A mouth rinse can be a good addition to your home dental hygiene program. Just make sure the mouth rinse doesn't contain alcohol, which can dry your mouth and result in a new set of problems. Also, rinsing should never replace flossing or brushing, unless it's impossible for you to brush or floss at that time.

Finally, here's a little-known fact: you should avoid brushing immediately after ingesting acidic foods or beverages, like orange juice, soda or grapefruit juice. Research has shown that when you brush after an acidic food or beverage, a small amount of the tooth enamel is worn away by the toothbrush rubbing the acids against the teeth. In this case, it's better to rinse your mouth, then wait an hour or two before brushing. This allows time for the saliva in your mouth to work to remineralize your teeth.

Brushing Your Teeth

Proper tooth brushing involves four things:

A soft toothbrush

Toothpaste with fluoride

The correct brushing angle

Brushing in a pattern

It's important to brush at least twice a day using a soft toothbrush. The flexible bristles of a soft toothbrush are gentler on the gums and make it much easier to remove the plaque below the gum line, where periodontal disease starts.

Use a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Fluoride hardens the outer enamel layer of the teeth. It might stop a cavity in its tracks and give you more resistance to future cavities.

Angle the bristles of the brush along the gum line at a 45-degree angle. Apply firm but gentle pressure so the bristles slide under the gum line.

Move the brush over the entire surface of two or three teeth at a time in small, circular motions. Allow some overlap as you move to the next teeth. Tilt the brush and use the tip to brush the backs of the front teeth.

It's fine to brush in any regular pattern you choose, but since the insides of the teeth tend to get less attention, you might start with the insides of the upper teeth, then go to the insides of the lower teeth. Switch to the outsides of the upper teeth, and then the outsides of the lower teeth. Brush the chewing surfaces of the upper teeth, then the lower teeth. End by gently brushing your tongue and the roof of your mouth. This removes germs to help keep your breath fresh.

Flossing

Most cavities and periodontal disease begin between the teeth. While brushing is important, the bristles of your brush simply don't reach between teeth. To keep your gums and teeth healthy, you must remove the plaque between your teeth at least once a day. That's why your dentist recommends dental floss.

Don't worry about the type of floss. They all work pretty much the same. Wind about 18 inches of floss around the middle fingers of each hand, leaving about 5 inches between your hands. Pinch the floss between your thumbs and index fingers and leave about one inch in between to work with.

Gently guide the floss down between the teeth using a side-to-side motion. If your teeth are too tight to floss, or if it catches or tears, let your dentist know about it. These are problems that need to be fixed.

Pull the floss tightly in a C shape around the side of the tooth and slide it under the gum line. Clean the side of the tooth by using an up-and-down motion, not side-to-side. When all the plaque has been removed the floss will squeak as it rubs against your tooth. Then pull the floss around the next tooth and repeat the process.

Wind the floss to a fresh section and gradually work your way around your mouth cleaning both sides of every tooth. If you have problems reaching some areas you may want to use a floss fork.

If your gums are infected, they'll bleed when you floss. That's to be expected if you are just beginning to floss. After a week or so of regular flossing the bleeding should go away. See your dentist if it doesn't.

Now you know why brushing your teeth is only half the battle. Most cavities and periodontal disease start between the teeth where your toothbrush just can't reach.

Change Your Toothbrush and Stay Healthier!

It's not a pleasant thought. Your toothbrush-an item that you put in your mouth at least a couple of times a day-is like a convention center for thousands of microorganisms. Over 300 types of microbes thrive in your mouth, and consequently, on your toothbrush. Luckily, most of them are harmless-the sort that exist in a normal mouth. But many harmful bacteria can make the brush and handle of your toothbrush their home, including:

Cold and flu bacteria

The herpes virus that causes painful cold sores

Staphylococcus bacteria, responsible for many ear, nose and throat infections

Candida, a parasitic fungus that causes thrush, an ulcerous condition on the mouth membrane

Bacteria than can cause periodontal (gum) infections, the leading cause of tooth loss among adults

What's to be learned from this? You can avoid infecting yourself with bacteria, and prevent a lot of illnesses, with one simple act-changing your toothbrush at least every three months.

Most of us have heard this before. But a survey conducted by Colgate-Palmolive showed that only 8.6 percent of us actually do it.

It is recommended replacing your toothbrush even more frequently than every three months. "Healthy people should buy a new toothbrush every two weeks. People with gum problems, other oral disease, or weakened immune systems should change brushes more often," he said.

Toothbrush bristles wear down relatively quickly. Once they're frayed and bent, they can't slide under the tissues to clean under the gum line, so they don't clean your teeth as well as they should.

Besides being inefficient tooth-cleaners, old, frayed bristles hide more bacteria and other disease-causing microorganisms.

Seniors-Don't Wait until It Hurts!

Maybe you have financial constraints. Or transportation can be a problem. Or maybe it's just not as easy to get around as it used to be. But it's very likely that you just don't get to the dentist as often as you should. And that can cause problems with your oral health that could cost you much more time and money later on.

Check out the symptoms below. If you experience even one of them, see a dentist as soon as you can and tell him about the problems you're having.

Lumps or sores inside your mouth

Tooth or mouth pain

Difficulty eating

Changing the foods you eat to avoid discomfort

Dry mouth

Regular visits to your dentist can prevent decay and resultant tooth loss, jawbone loss, infections and even oral cancer.

Good oral health helps to keep your entire body healthier. So remember to see your dentist twice a year, if you can. You're worth it!