Just how important is keeping our teeth clean? Man is a social animal. As such, keeping oneself presentable at all times will make any interaction pleasant. When we meet anyone or approach anyone, the first thing that is noticed of us is our smile. When we smile, eat, or talk, our teeth show more often than not.

Even our health is affected by our teeth. When we have dental caries, it gives us bad breath. It may even lead to such conditions as sore throat, periodontitis, rheumatic heart or even kidney conditions. Thus it makes it imperative to keep our enamels intact and clean.

The best way maintain our teeth is to brush them on a regular basis. As a rule, we should observe the following:

1. We should brush our teeth each time we eat, when we wake up and before we sleep. But if this is not possible, brushing at least twice a day will do.

2. We should brush gently and give each tooth at least 10 strokes per side. That would mean we have to brush at least 10 to 15 minutes each time.

3. When we brush, we should also brush the inside of our cheeks, our tongue and gums as well as these parts harbor bacteria and may encourage their proliferation.

4. We should replace our toothbrush every 3 months.

5. We should have at least 2 toothbrushes at any given time since it is recommended that we use our brushes when they are already dry.

6. We should keep our toothbrushes in cases so that none of the pests in the house can "feed" on them.

Let's try to keep ourselves healthy by keeping our teeth clean.