REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Adopting a healthy lifestyle by brushing the teeth properly and correctly can prevent dental disease, according to the Health Ministry Director of Primary Care and Facilities Kartini Rustandi.

Speaking at a media gathering on the National Dental Health Month 2015 in Jakarta on Tuesday, Rustandi explained that people who brushed their teeth as often as possible in the right way would not develop dental disease.

"Preventing dental disease by brushing teeth in the right way as often as possible is part of a healthy lifestyle," she said, adding that most people used different techniques to brush their teeth, but some are more harmful than others.

She pointed out that teeth need to be brushed lightly as harsher brushing can damage the teeth and erode gums; and instead of brushing in long strokes, the teeth must be brushed in a gentle, circular motion.

Rustandi remarked that brushing the teeth while taking a bath or immediately after waking up is not the right way to maintain healthy teeth.

Moreover, brushing the teeth soon after eating food can damage them as during this time, the pH level in the mouth is lower than normal and more acidic, so brushing can be very abrasive and harmful.

Therefore, she suggested that one must wait for at least 30 minutes after a meal to brush his or her teeth.

Rustandi noted that although most Indonesian people brushed their teeth daily, but the number of people, who followed the practice, after breakfast and before bed at night, was still very low.

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