10 Mistakes You Make While Cleaning Your Teeth

Brushing your teeth twice a day will not necessarily keep them clean and avoid dental health problems. Why? Because there are some mistakes you might be making while brushing your teeth. Do any of them apply to you?

#1: Brushing at the wrong time

In choosing when to brush your teeth, you might consider your health status and diet. If you’ve been ill or have eaten an acidic food or drink, (think of your morning juice), avoid brushing your teeth right away. Because acids get rid of the protective layer of saliva normally on your teeth, and this causes brushing to be more abrasive on the teeth. We recommended waiting 30 minutes before brushing to allow this protective layer to recover.

#2: Not Brushing long enough

The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day. That’s 2 minutes before you go to bed and at least one other time during the day.

 #3: Brushing too frequently

 Some people are overly hygiene-conscious and end up brushing their teeth too frequently. If you brush more than 3 times a day, it can harm your teeth. It can lead to recession of the gum line as well as hastened erosion of dental enamel.

#4: Brushing too hard

Using the wrong technique when brushing, paired with a heavy hand, can cause wear on your teeth and potentially lead to receding gums. Brushing harder will not leave your teeth cleaner. A lot of electric toothbrushes have a sensor that will flicker a light if you are brushing too hard.

#5: Using the wrong tooth brush

Toothbrushes come in different sizes. To clean your teeth correctly, you need to use a properly sized toothbrush. If it’s too big, you may have to strain your mouth to keep it open. If it is too small, then proper cleaning will not be possible. When a toothbrush feels good in your hand and mouth and reaches every tooth, then it is the right size.

Manual versus electric? The debate rages on … According to the American Dental Association both electric and manual toothbrushes are effective at removing oral plaque that causes decay and disease. However, an electric toothbrush can clean wisdom teeth much better without requiring you to move your actual brush too much, and its more helpful for people who have arthritis or pain in their hands, arms or shoulders.

Whether electric or manual, take care while choosing your bristles. Bristles should be soft instead of hard – Many people believe that hard bristles can wear away your tooth enamel. They can, but sugary and acidic foods, like soda, fruit juice, and sweets do much more damage to your tooth enamel than a hard-bristled toothbrush. It’s your gums you should be worried about if you use a hard toothbrush, because it might get irritated and damaged.

#6: Using an old tooth brush

Your toothbrush won’t be as effective as it should be if the bristles are worn. Change your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months. Take a close look at your brush regularly and make sure the bristles are flexible and straight. If the bristles look frayed, change your toothbrush immediately.

#7: Using the wrong brushing technique

We all brush our teeth daily, but we do not give much thought to the technique, and we tend to forget to brush our teeth’s inner surfaces. The American Dental Association has prepared this guideline on the correct brushing technique:

1. Align the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gum line.
2. Using short, gentle strokes, move the toothbrush back and forth around your teeth.
3. Then brush circularly or vertically around the outer, inner and chewing surfaces of all your teeth.
4. When done, brush your tongue to remove bacteria and prevent bad breath.

 #8: Using the wrong toothpaste

Although there is no single “best” toothpaste for every person in the world be sure to check that your toothpaste contains fluoride, and make sure it has enough – for adults this is between 1,350 to 1,500 parts per million which reads as ppm on the tube. Fluoride is key in helping prevent tooth decay.

 #9: Rinsing your mouth after brushing

After brushing your teeth, you should “Spit and Don’t Rinse”. Because when you rinse your teeth, you wash away the fluoride and enamel-protecting properties of the toothpaste. This is often a tricky habit to become accustomed to but like any new routine, the longer you stick with it the easier it will become.

 #10: Flossing only the front teeth

Some people floss only the teeth they can reach instead of in between all of their teeth. Flossing is not just about removing food but removing the fine plaque and biofilm between teeth and gums, this is the damaging stuff which leads to cavities and gum disease.

PresiDental Esthetics (PDE) Team recommends using floss, then mouthwash, and finally brushing “Floss-Wash-Brush”, to maintain a healthy, happy smile.