When it comes to looking after your oral health, there are plenty of misconceptions out there. While good oral health can be achieved in just a few minutes, the wrong practices can cause irreversible damage.
Myth 1 – The harder you brush, the cleaner your teeth will be
- Brushing too hard can cause damage to your teeth and gums by eroding some of the enamel that protects teeth and causing the gums to recede.
- Here at Teeth and Smiles we advise that you use a soft bristled brush and use small circular motions to clean your teeth.
Myth 2 – if your gums bleed when you brush or clean interdentally, leave them alone
- The reason your gums bleed is a build-up of plaque and bacteria.
- Plaque contains germs which attack the healthy tissue around the teeth.
- This will cause the gums to become inflamed and irritated, which may cause them to bleed when brushing or flossing.
- This is called Gingivitis and is the first stage of gum disease.
- It is important that you brush and floss your teeth to remove the plaque and bacteria to ensure a healthy smile.
Myth 3 – You’ve been slacking on brushing and flossing and have a dentist appointment coming up. As long as you brush well before going in, no one will know, right?
- Without regular brushing and flossing, hard tartar forms around your teeth and at a certain point you will not be able to remove it with brushing alone.
- Plus, you can’t undo the inflammation in your gums that occurs when plaque and tartar have accumulated over six months with just a few days of flossing.
- Bleeding gums and the amount and location of tartar are the giveaways.
Myth 4 – Gum disease only affects your oral health
- If you suffer with gum disease you are at increased risk of developing diabetes, hypertension and other cancers that are related to chronic inflammation.
Myth 5 –If nothing is bothering you, you don’t need a dental check up
- This is possibly the biggest misconception.
- With a lot of dental issues, you don’t necessarily feel pain right away.
- If you wait until the cavity hurts to get it checked out you could end up needing a root canal or an extraction that could be prevented with regular check-ups.
- The point of going to the dentist is so we can prevent things from happening to the teeth to protect them and notice things before they become an issue.
If you have any questions or would like to book in for your routine dental appointment, do not hesitate to contact Teeth and Smiles on 020 7352 7049.