According to reports, dental clinics get millions of visits related to having stains on the teeth or developing decays every year.
Surprisingly, the vast majority of these patients claim that they clean their teeth regularly, which means that they’re unintentionally making teeth cleaning mistakes. The reason these mistakes are so common boils down to how easy it is to make them.
In this article, we will discuss some common teeth cleaning mistakes to help you avoid them in the future.
The major teeth cleaning mistakes
1. Brushing too fast
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, the average person brushes their teeth for 45–70 seconds per day. This report accounts for a 24-hour window, which means that if the person is brushing their teeth 2–3 times a day, you can further divide this duration.
If you’re never heard of the recommended tooth brushing duration, 45–70 seconds might seem sufficient; however, researchers found that brushing your teeth should last 120 seconds to get rid of any food debris or bacterial colonies forming inside your oral cavity.
Therefore, you should start integrating this healthy habit into your daily routine. Furthermore, instead of brushing your teeth exclusively before sleeping at night, you may want to do it an additional 1–2 times.
If you find it difficult to estimate the duration of tooth brushing, here are some helpful tips:
- For manual toothbrushes – in this case, you simply have to use your phone or any other clock to measure the time.
Note that after a while, it will become easier to estimate the time without needing to look at your phone.
- For electric toothbrushes – most electric toothbrushes have an integrated system that makes them buzz every 30 seconds, which means that in order to reach the recommended duration, you need to wait for 4 buzzes before stopping.
2. Rinsing your mouth after brushing
When we brush our teeth, we tend to rinse our mouths with water to remove the toothpaste. This method seems like the correct way to do it.
Unfortunately, if you rinse your mouth, all the protective material that covers your teeth will be lost. In order words, your teeth will only be clean for a short duration when you brush them. Once you rinse your mouth, the environment becomes suitable for bacterial growth to wreak havoc on your teeth.
According to researchers, fluoride is the primary compound that protects the teeth from decay. The good news is that most kinds of toothpaste contain fluoride.
However, researchers recommend spitting instead of rinsing to maintain adequate levels of fluoride inside the oral cavity.
Similar to our first tip, getting used to spitting instead of rinsing will take a while; however, it is absolutely worth it.
3. Choosing the wrong toothpaste
When you’re watching TV, you may come across 3 different advertisements that promote a type of toothpaste. Every brand will claim to be the best one for your teeth, stating that their product contains secret ingredients that make it special.
According to unbiased researchers, there is no one superior toothpaste; however, the ingredients and their concentrations play a role in every toothpaste’s target customers.
If we take the example of people with sensitive teeth to temperature, fluoride-rich kinds of toothpaste are considered the best option to strengthen the structure of teeth and restore the integrity of the damaged enamel.
Note that it’s always a good idea to consult with your dentist or dental hygienist before making a drastic change to your tooth-brushing routine.
4. Bad time for brushing
Most reputable sources state that you need to wait for at least 30 minutes after a meal before brushing your teeth.
This is because the saliva protects the oral cavity from chemical damage induced by acids (e.g., lemon juice). Brushing your teeth too fast will remove that protection, exposing your mouth to all sorts of chemicals.
The 30-minute window allows your glands to secrete enough saliva to restore that protection.
5. Going too hard on your teeth
During tooth brushing, it might seem like a good idea to apply more pressure on the toothbrush; after all, more pressure means cleaner teeth with no food debris, right?
Wrong!
In a 2018 study, researchers found that pressing too hard on the toothbrush leads to the classic process of wear and tear, which eventually leads to a myriad of problems, including gum bleeding and tooth decay.
Since this mistake is so common, some electric toothbrushes have a feature that notifies you when you’re pressing too hard on your teeth.
As for the best brushing technique, researchers found that the generic side-to-side scrubbing is not the most effective way to do it. Instead, you should brush your teeth at a slight angle and focus on each individual tooth.
Takeaway message
Making mistakes when brushing your teeth is extremely common, which could precipitate tooth decay and other oral pathologies with time.
Hopefully, the tips listed above will help you become accustomed to the good and bad habits of tooth brushing.
If you have any concerns about your oral hygiene, do not hesitate to book an appointment today.
DISCLAIMER: The advice offered is intended to be informational only and generic in nature. It is no way to offer a definitive diagnosis or specific treatment recommendations for your particular situation. Any advice offered is no substitute for proper evaluation and care by a qualified dentist.
