Did you know that one-third of American adults brush their teeth incorrectly? If you’re like most of these people, you probably don’t know that there are correct and incorrect ways of brushing your teeth. The misinformation puts you at a high risk of dental health issues like tooth decay and gum disease.
Your teeth are a valuable asset since you only have one permanent tooth set in a lifetime. This is why you need to learn the right tooth brushing techniques.
Here, we tell you five ways you may be brushing your teeth incorrectly and how you can correct the mistakes to protect your teeth and gums.
1. Brushing Aggressively
You may be subjecting your teeth to excessive pressure when brushing. You will know if your toothbrush bristles appear flattened within a few weeks.
If you’re aggressive, you may damage your teeth and enamel. Continued aggressive brushing will wear out and soften your tooth enamel prematurely, and it will be hard to repair itself.
As your enamel continues to erode, you may start suffering from cavities and tooth sensitivity. Brushing too hard also puts you at high risk of gum recession. Your gum tissue will start shrinking back, affecting how you smile.
If the recession continues, your tooth roots will be exposed. They’ll be at more risk of decay due to exposure to external stimuli and bacteria.
The best way to brush your teeth is to use soft strokes and move the brush gently to clean all areas. Rather than embracing the mentality that you’re brushing your teeth, do it with the mentality that you’re massaging them to train your hands to be gentler. If you’re not sure you can reduce the pressure, use your non-dominant hand as it may lessen the pressure.
2. Using the Wrong Brush
Your daily brushing will give you the best results only if you’re using the right toothbrush. You’re brushing your teeth incorrectly if the toothbrush head does not fit comfortably in your mouth. Using such a toothbrush means you can’t access all your mouth areas.
You’re also harming your teeth by using a brush with hard bristles. Such bristles may not bend well enough to get under the gums or other corners of your mouth.
To brush your teeth correctly, you’ll need to buy a brush that comfortably fits your mouth. Make sure it can reach all the areas that need cleaning.
Also, make sure you use a brush with soft bristles. These bristles will do a better job of removing loose plaque from your gums and teeth. It will also reduce the risk of wearing down your teeth, which may cause more sensitivity.
3. Using the Wrong Brushing Technique
By technique, we’re talking about the angle of holding your brush and how you move the brush when cleaning your teeth. You may be positioning your brush at the wrong angle, making it difficult to clean your gums well. You may also be brushing using sweeping strokes by rushing back and forth across your teeth’ width.
According to the American Dental Association, you should hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums. You should then make short, tooth-wide strokes back and forth. Follow a systematic approach so you don’t miss some teeth surfaces.
If you ask a dentist how to brush your teeth, they will tell you to focus on a few teeth at a time instead of moving the brush all around. This will ensure you clean under your gums, where plaque is ever-present. Focusing on a few teeth will also ensure that you don’t over-brush some teeth.
Ensure that you clean all areas, including the inner, outer, and chewing tooth surfaces. To clean the inner surface, hold your brush vertically and tilt it against the teeth you want to clean. Move the brush gently in up and down strokes to remove any food particles stuck on the inner surface.
4. Rushing Through Brushing
When you’re in a hurry to get to work or sleep, you’re likely to cut your brushing time to less than two minutes. You’re engaging in incorrect tooth brushing even when you follow the right technique and brush for only one minute.
Abbreviated brushing means you don’t get enough time to access and clean all your mouth areas. You’ll also miss most surfaces, leaving room for bacteria to build up and cause dental health issues like tooth decay. Advanced decay may cause you to experience intense pain in your gums, necessitating tooth extractions.
When you’re not brushing long enough, there’s a high possibility that you won’t follow a systematic approach. You won’t know which area you’ve brushed and which one you’re yet to clean.
The correct tooth brushing practice is to spend two minutes brushing your teeth. This will give you enough time to remove the plaque from all surfaces.
Some electric toothbrushes will alert you when the two minutes elapse. If you have a manual toothbrush, you can use a cellphone timer to know how long you’ve been brushing.
5. Brushing Immediately After Eating
Good tooth brushing practices don’t just involve how, but also when you brush. An incorrect tooth brushing practice you probably use every day is brushing your teeth immediately after meals.
Brushing too soon may affect your enamel, especially if you have consumed something acidic. Acidic foods like lemons and grapefruits can soften your enamel for a few minutes.
If you brush too soon, you will cause further damage to the already weak enamel. If the acid is still in your mouth, brushing will only help the acid erode your teeth.
The best thing is to rinse your mouth with water after a meal. You should then wait for at least 30 minutes before brushing. The wait time will give your saliva enough time to remove the destructive acid from your teeth before you start brushing.
Avoid Incorrect Tooth Brushing Practices for Better Oral Health
Proper tooth brushing is an art, and if you don’t master it, you’ll be the next victim of dental health issues. Are you making any of the above mistakes?
If so, implement the recommendations in our article to ensure that you transition from incorrect to correct tooth brushing. It’s the only way you’ll keep your gums and teeth healthy.
If you’re looking for more health advice, check out the rest of our blog for more insightful articles.
