Everyone knows that brushing your teeth regularly is important but some people are guilty of doing it wrong.Many people brush their teeth twice a day in order to improve their oral hygiene and banish bacteria but a lot are putting themselves at risk of diseases by cleaning their pearly whites the wrong way.Dentist Dr Phil Stemmer told the Daily Mail that the majority of people think they are doing a good job cleaning their teeth but many are failing to remove bacteria which can result in bad oral hygiene.Having bad oral hygiene can have potentially serious consequences as teeth and gum disease has been linked to a range of fatal health problems ranging from heart disease to stroke.The best way to clean your teeth is to choose a toothbrush with a small rounded head as this will allow you to get fluoride toothpaste into all corners of your mouth without hurting your gums. Bashing your gums when brushing your teeth can cause ulcers and it is also vital to ensure that your toothbrush has medium strength bristles as strong bristles have the potential to damage tooth enamel. You may even want to use an electric toothbrush because the majority of them have pressure sensors which reduces the amount of damage to enamel and gums but is crucial to brush well and not just depend on the machine's vibrations.Once you have selected the right toothbrush, the next step is to understand when is the best time to brush your teeth because many people have experienced conflicting advice regarding the situation.You should not brush your teeth immediately after eating because the tooth enamel will just have been weakened and will be in danger of being brushed away and this is especially true when consuming acidic foods like citrus fruits. The best time to brush is either before breakfast because this coats teeth with fluoride which prevents erosions or you should clean at least one hour after eating because the enamel will have hardened in this time.Now that you know what to toothbrush to use and when to clean your teeth, the final step is to perfect your brushing technique as this is the real secret to having a bright white smile.Always brush in small circular movements across your teeth instead of the sawing motion which you often see because this can wear away the gum.Ensure that your toothpaste includes flouride and that you spend at least two minutes brushing your teeth.