We all know that brushing your teeth is one of the most important ways to take care of them, and to be honest, your entire body. Since everything in the body is connected, diseases in the mouth can definitely attribute to problems and diseases in your body. ?It’s important to make sure you are brushing your teeth properly in order to get the full benefits of your time spent completing this task.
When it comes to brushing your teeth I?m sure you?ve heard a lot of different tips, myths, and details of ?things you have to do. While a lot of the information out there is good, there are definitely some myths that I think we need to all be aware of. I?m going to be sharing the top 6 myths that I?ve come across when it comes to brushing your teeth so that you know the facts and what you actually should be doing.
Let?s dive into those 6 myths
- Brushing once per day is okay: this is false! You should be brushing a minimum of two times per day, for 2 minutes at a time. We do so much with our mouths like talk, eat, and drink throughout the day from the morning to bedtime. One time per day just won?t cut it. I prefer you brush your teeth after every meal, but the minimum should be two times per day!
2. Mouthwash is a toothpaste and brushing replacement: No! Mouthwash is supposed to help clean up what your brushing and toothpaste has left behind but it is in no way a replacement. Mouthwash helps reduce the bacterial load in your mouth, and your other tissues like your cheeks, and your tongue, but it CANNOT replace brushing. ?It does not do the hard work of cleaning and scrubbing the bacteria and plaque off of your teeth like a toothbrush would do for you. ?When plaque accumulates, we call it a bacterial biofilm. ?If these biofilms aren’t disrupted by way of brushing, then they calcify (aka harden) on your teeth and they become impossible for you to remove yourself. ?So make sure you’re brushing at least twice a day!
3. Flossing is a sometimes thing: Flossing is a regular thing that you should be doing. Flossing gets into the spaces of your teeth that your toothbrush can?t reach, and disrupts those bacterial biofilms I was telling you about. And these are usually the places where bacteria loves to live because it?s hard to reach. You should be flossing at a minimum of twice per day: once in the morning and once in the evening. ?
4. Brush right after eating or drinking: You should be brushing after eating and drinking certain foods but not always right away. If you are eating and/or drinking something acidic (like oranges, lemons, etc), it can soften the enamel on your teeth. If you brush right away, you are basically brushing that acid right into your teeth, and you could end up doing more damage to your enamel. It?s best to rinse with water and then brush about an hour afterwards if need be.
5. My gums bleed when I brush so I shouldn’t brush so much: Actually, this means you need to brush MORE. ?If you’re gums bleed when you floss or brush, it means there is presence of bacteria and disease. ?That means that you need to be working harder to remove that bacteria. ?Try this: floss and brush regularly, even if your gums bleed and even if it hurts, and you will notice after about a week, the bleeding will start to lessen. ?If you continue your routine, the bleeding will completely stop (make sure to see your hygienist regularly too to remove the bacteria you can’t reach)!
6. I need to use a toothbrush with hard bristles to get my teeth really clean: Okay, NO! From this point on, I only want you to use a toothbrush with SOFT bristles. ?Hard bristles don’t do anything but cause damage to your teeth and gums over time. ?Remember, when you’re brushing, you need to disturb those bacterial biofilms, and as long as you are spending an adequate amount of time brushing your teeth, soft bristles will do the trick just fine, and you greatly reduce the risk of causing damage to your teeth and your gums!
I’m curious to know what other myths you have heard when it comes to brushing your teeth! It?s okay if you have believed some of them along the way! It happens.
There is a lot of information out there on the web and that?s given to us by family and friends, causing us to be slightly confused when it comes to knowing what we should do and what’s the most ideal for us. I?m willing to bet that there are other myths out there that you believe about your oral health. . .I’d love to hear some of those! Hop on over to my Instagram page and let me know! I’d love to help debunk those myths for you!
