3 Mistakes You Make When Brushing Your Teeth

10 November 2014 by Milton Hayes

Tooth brushing seems so simple, but there's more to brushing your teeth than just remembering to do it twice a day. Even if you are brushing twice a day, you could still be making some tooth brushing mistakes that can negatively affect your dental health. Here are three common tooth brushing mistakes that you need to stop making.

Using too much pressure

Do you vigorously scrub your teeth with your toothbrush in an effort to get your teeth as clean as possible? Your teeth may feel clean afterwards, but you can cause a lot of damage. Pushing too hard with your toothbrush can strip the enamel from the outside of your teeth, which causes sensitivity. It can also make your gums bleed, or even cause them to recede.  

You need a surprisingly small amount of force to clean your teeth adequately, only about 150 grams of pressure. This is about the weight of an orange. Your dentist or dental hygienist can demonstrate the proper amount of pressure for you at your next appointment. 

Not brushing your tongue

About 50% of the bacteria in your mouth live on your tongue. The bacteria inside your mouth causes bad breath, but it also causes tooth decay. By forgetting to brush your tongue, you're leaving the job half finished. Once you've brushed your teeth, brush your tongue, working from back to front. You also need to brush the sides, but not the underside of your tongue. You can also buy specialised tongue scrapers that are designed for cleaning the tongue if you want a more thorough cleaning than a toothbrush can provide.

Not brushing for long enough

Dentists recommend brushing your teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day. Many people think that they're brushing for long enough, but are actually only brushing for between 30 and 45 seconds. This is a problem because you won't be able to remove the plaque from all of your tooth surfaces in this small amount of time. Plaque that is left on your teeth hardens into tartar, and when that happens, it can't be removed with your toothbrush. 

Next time you brush your teeth, time yourself, and you may find that you're falling short of the two minute requirement. 

Next time you brush your teeth, try to avoid making these three mistakes. Pushing too hard, not brushing your tongue and rushing through the process can do more harm than good.

For more information, contact a dentist's office like Dentist In Mosman.

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