People are being urged not to rinse out their mouths at night after brushing their teeth.
A recent study suggests only one-in-10 people brush their teeth correctly, with 30% only brushing their teeth once a day.
Dental Care Ireland Clinical Director Dr Jennifer Collins told Moncrieff everyone should brush twice a day for two minutes each time.
"Most people will start at the back [of the mouth]," she said.
"Right-handed people generally start on the left side of their mouths, which is often why right-handed people often have more gum recession on the left side.
"They brush a bit heavier on the left side."
'Four quadrants'
Dr Collins said people should divide their mouth into sections when brushing teeth.
"I would suggest when brushing your teeth to visualise your mouth in four quadrants," she said.
"So do 30 seconds per quadrant, brush in a circular motion - you don't want to put too much pressure on your gums and teeth.
"Tilt the toothbrush in a 45° angle if you can do so to get right in between the tooth and gum".
Dr Collins said people need to be careful not to wear down their gums, especially older people, and "ensure we're cleaning our teeth well but we're not scrubbing them and doing any damage".
She said people should brush "outside, inside and the surfaces" of their teeth.
Rinsing
Dr Collins said people shouldn't be quick to rinse out their mouth after brushing teeth.
"I would recommend to my patients that they would spit out the toothpaste but not rinse out their mouth with water afterwards," she said.
"The reason for that being that the toothpaste has lots of really good ingredients in it which can strengthen your teeth.
"Especially at night time when you brush your teeth, spit the excess into the sink and leave the remainder in your mouth.
"So overnight the different ingredients in your toothpaste will help strengthen your teeth".
Dr Collins suggest people shouldn't "rely on mouthwash too heavily".
"The brushing is key, the brushing is the most important part of it all".
Toothpaste
On the right toothpaste, Dr Collins said there are lots of different options.
"Essentially any fluoride toothpaste is going to do the job," she said.
"They're obviously lots of different brands and price points but sometimes you can get a whitening toothpaste which would have different particles in them like silica which would essentially remove the surface stains.
"Some toothpastes would have different ingredients that would help the gums but for the regular person a good fluoride toothpaste would do the trick."
On whitening toothpastes Dr Collins suggested "a whitening toothpaste isn't going to do what a dentist's bleaching system will do for your teeth.
"Essentially it's like an exfoliator for your teeth".
Best brush
Dr Collins said there is an electric brush to fit every budget.
"You can have a more basic model which would have maybe an oscillating head or a timer on it," she said.
"You can get the more fancy toothbrushes which would have features that allow you to not only time the length of time you brush your teeth for but also they can stop you putting too much pressure on your teeth and gums."
A young man brushing teeth and cleaning his tongue with a toothbrush, 30-5-15. Image: Stefano C. / AlamyDr Collins said when it comes to toothbrush heads and bristles, there is one winner.
"Generally a medium bristles toothbrush [means] you can't go wrong," she said.
"So your dentist or periodontist might suggest using a soft bristle toothbrush if you're somebody who's susceptible to gum disease.
"But for the majority of the population a medium bristle toothbrush is sufficient.
"I'd avoid the hard bristles because they can do a lot of damage if they're not used properly".
Dr Collins added that people should brush their tongue as it contains bacteria - but it is not an essential part of oral hygiene.
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