People make grave mistakes when cleaning their teeth, and it puts them at grave risk of tooth loss. Failing to clean the teeth properly increases the population of harmful bacteria in the mouth.
Only a handful people do a thorough job cleaning their teeth. Gleaning from dental clinics in Townsville, brushing your teeth properly every day is the most critical part of dental hygiene. In addition to giving you fresh breath and cleaning away food particles between your teeth, brushing fights tooth decay. Therefore, you need to avoid these costly mistakes that can ruin your teeth:
Picking the Wrong Toothbrush
You might have had a hard time picking a toothbrush at the supermarket. With so many choices, choosing a toothbrush can have you splitting hairs. Luckily, you can breeze through the process and choose one that fits your needs just fine. For starters, you need to pick one with bristles that can bend to get under the gum.
Stay away from brushes with hard bristles, as these can wear down the protective enamel on your teeth. Next, if you have a small mouth, pick a brush with a small head so that it can reach all your teeth. However, getting the bristles right is the key to keeping your teeth safe, as they are instrumental in removing bacteria and loosening plaque from gums and teeth.
Doing a Rush Job
Dentists recommend that you brush your teeth with flouridated toothpaste at least twice daily. That’s in addition to flossing at least once a day. Most people tend to do a rush job, and they eventually pay the price.
You’re unlikely to dislodge all the debris between your teeth in such a short duration. As a result, the debris will encourage the growth of harmful bacteria, putting your teeth at risk. As the bacteria in the mouth increases, so does the risk of suffering from dental caries.
Holding on Too Long
It’s common for people to come across a toothbrush they love, and it makes it hard to give it up. Ideally, you should change your brush every three to four months. A dirty-looking brush with discoloured and bent bristles needs to be tossed into the trash can.
As the bristles fray, they lose their cleaning power. If you come across a brand that makes you swoon, be sure to get more than one piece to avoid such issues down the line.
Brushing Incorrectly
It’s amazing how many people use back and forth strokes when cleaning their teeth. While it’s easy to move from left to right, this method is wholly ineffective. You need to go up and down using small circular motions to rid your mouth of food particles. You also need to angle the brush at a 45-degree angle. Clean both sides of your teeth as well as the chewing surfaces.
Cleaning your teeth properly is the first line of defence against tooth loss or decay. Due to its wet and warm nature, your mouth harbours lots of bacteria. These bacteria produce acids that wear away your protective enamel. Using flouridated toothpaste and a soft toothbrush sweeps away most of the bacteria and creates an environment where they cannot survive.