Brushing your teeth three times a day is not enough – especially if you’re doing it the wrong way. As if it’s not challenging enough to train kids to brush regularly, research says that all your effort in teaching your child might not exactly lead to cleaner and healthier pearly whites if you yourself are not aware that you are brushing your teeth the wrong way.
We list down 10 misnomers in dental care and what you can do to correct them.
1. That any toothbrush will do.
There’s a reason why there are different kinds of toothbrushes in the market. You have your soft, medium or hard-bristled variety. You also have different sizes to choose from. You can even go so far as purchasing an electric toothbrush. The key though is finding out just what type fits you (more specifically, your mouth and teeth) the best.
First, pick the right size. How do you know what toothbrush size to use? If it’s not too big that you’re exerting extra effort just to open your mouth wide, explains Richard H. Price, DMD. To keep it simple, it should feel comfortable enough in your mouth.
As for the bristle type, The American Dental Association actually recommends a soft-bristled brush so it doesn’t traumatize the gums too much.
There may be angled varieties in the market, as well as the electronic alternative, but it’s really more about your technique than this that matters.
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2. That you need to brush right after eating.
It’s actually better to wait a good 30 minutes after meals before brushing, says Tomkins. This is because when you brush right immediately after eating may actually grind sugars and other food particles into teeth and help wear away the tooth’s enamel.
3. That you need to wet your toothbrush first.
It’s really unnecessary, explains Lynn Tomkins, President of the Ontario Dental Association. You don’t really need to wet your toothbrush, unless you are using a hard-bristled toothbrush and need to soften it a bit first.
4. That it’s important to brush really hard.
How good a job you do at cleaning your teeth doesn’t necessarily rely on how hard you brush. In fact, excessive brushing can actually increase your teeth’s sensitivity and can trigger receding gums (loss of gum tissue).
5. That you should brush your teeth the same way each time.
While we may each already have our own sequence when it comes to brushing our teeth, it might actually be better to create some variety every now and then. Instead of starting out and ending in the same area each time, try coming up with a different order so that you don’t end up brushing some parts more than others.
6. That as long as you brush, it doesn’t matter how you do it.
Brush your teeth vertically, not horizontally gently. Use short strokes along the gum line at 45 degrees. Aside from the teeth, make sure to brush as well the inside part of the teeth and the tongue. Since your tongue presses against the inner teeth, these are also subject to plaque.
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7. That as long as you brush, it doesn’t matter for how LONG you do it.
What’s the recommended length of time when brushing your teeth? It should at least be two minutes, says Michael Seserman, DDS, president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a dentist in Omaha.
Even better, actually, is if it lasts three minutes, says Richard H. Price, DMD, consumer advisor for the American Dental Association.
Notes Seseman, "It's an arbitrary number, but it's just so people take the time to clean all the surfaces." He advises dividing the mouth into four sections and allotting at least 30 seconds for each part.
8. That you need to rinse your mouth, whether with water or mouthwash.
An article published by the Toronto Star states that by doing so, you’re actually washing away the fluoride left by the toothpaste, which serves as a protective coating to prevent tooth decay, Tomkins notes. You can just spit out the toothpaste without rinsing.
“I recommend not rinsing, particularly for the nighttime,” says Tomkins. “You leave a nice film of fluoride on your teeth overnight.”
9. That you could use dental floss any which way.
Rather than forcefully snapping in between your teeth floss, which actually could damage your gums, gently guide the floss with a zigzag motion, urges the American Dental Association.
10. That your toothbrush is clean after you rinse it.
Keeping the toothbrush as moisture-free as possible makes it less prone to accumulating bacteria. Best to tap the toothbrush after use to shake off excess water and use a cap to still let air in.
Sources:
• “6 Common Dental Mistakes” hufftingtonpost.com
• Kathleen Doheny. “10 Common Toothbrushing Mistakes” kqqy.com
• “Choosing a Toothbrush: The Pros and Cons of Electric and Disposable” webmd.com
• April 26, 2011. Jennifer Wilson. “Surprise! You’re brushing your teeth wrong” healthzone.ca
• April 27, 2011. “Common mistakes people make while brushing their teeth” dentalplans.com
Photography by Christian Halili
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