Brushing and flossing your teeth and visiting a dental clinic once every 6 six months is a vital part of oral hygiene. However, most of us take brushing lightly, and we don’t really put much thought into if we are doing it right. Dental experts now say that as much as brushing is important for oral hygiene, it’s equally important to do it right to reap its proper benefits. Here are some professional insights on the most common mistakes people make when brushing their teeth.
Brushing Too Hard
There is a big conception that the power of your stroke or how hard you brush your teeth is what cleans your teeth when in truth, it’s the motion of your brush that actually does the cleaning properly.
Surprisingly brushing your teeth too hard can wear out the tooth enamel and gum while exposing them to increased sensitivity. A good way to see if you’re brushing too hard is to take a close look at your toothbrush. If the bristles in the brush are splayed out, then you’re definitely brushing too hard.
Using A Toothbrush That Is Too Hard
Once again, the firmness of your toothbrush will not decide how well you can clean your teeth, it’s always the motion of your brushing. Nowadays, dentists mostly recommend an electric toothbrush which makes rapid automatic bristle motions just the right way. Just like when brushing too hard, using a hard toothbrush can also wear out the enamel in your teeth and gum tissue. In worse cases, it can also be painful, especially if you brush too hard and hurt your gums. If you still prefer a manual toothbrush, then it’s best to choose soft ones.
Not Changing Your Brush Often Enough
It’s believed that, on average, people change their toothbrushes only twice a year. Dentists, on the other hand, recommend that you change your toothbrush at least once every three months for proper oral hygiene. Not only is this practice unhygienic, but the toothbrush will also lose its effectiveness in cleaning your teeth after three months.
Brushing The Wrong Area Of The Tooth
When you are young, you get cavities on the top of your teeth, so your dentist might have taught you to brush your teeth well in that area. But as you become an adult, the most important area to brush your teeth becomes the gum line, in between the teeth and the back of the teeth. Brushing should be done at a 45-degree angle along the gum line by giving special attention to the molars.
Brushing In The Same Pattern Every Time
If you always follow the same pattern to brush your teeth, there is a good chance that you’re missing the same unbrushed areas every day. To prevent this, change up the pattern you brush your teeth. It does take some intentional thought, but in the long run, it makes sure that all of your teeth are cleaned properly.
Not Brushing Long Enough
While this may sound too much time for simply brushing the teeth, it is healthy and recommended to brush your teeth at least for 2 minutes, split into 30 seconds in each quadrant of your mouth. Brushing for 45 seconds or less, which is how long most people brush on average, is not sufficient to clean your teeth and remove all food and plaque it has accumulated.
Most importantly, no matter how much of a perfect brushing routine you follow, you have to get your teeth checked at a reliable dental clinic at least once every six months, and for those who experience dental issues, once every 3-4 months. Remember that brushing your teeth is the very basic of dental care.