When it comes to our daily dental hygiene, we may probably have different habits. But how sure are you that what you’re practicing is a good one? Read on to find out 5 dental hygiene mistakes that you might be doing:
Brushing too long and too hard Brushing is necessary as part of everyone’s dental hygiene. But it doesn’t mean that you need to brush every after eating. Frequent teeth brushing can cause erosion of your tooth enamel later on. We also have this practice to brush harder whenever we see stains on our teeth. While putting more pressure can be effective in some cases, it’s different when it comes to brushing. If you always brush your teeth hard, that can cause some serious gum injury and receding. It will just actually make your teeth more prone to decay easily because of the damaged tooth enamel. Recommended brushing is at least twice a day (morning and evening) for about 2-3 minutes.
Skipping dental visits Who among you only visit the dentist when you experience dental problems? Well, I know for sure this is a mistake that many people are guilty of. It’s an inane habit, I think, as many of us focus on cure rather than prevention. Even if you’re not seeing any dental issues right now, how sure are you that “what you see is what you get”? I’m just saying that you won’t know if you have problems if you only focus on what you can easily see. This is why it’s recommended to visit dentists at least twice a year to know the overall state of your oral health.
Not changing toothbrush Sounds gross? Well, yes, but this is actually a common thing for a lot of people. Even if you really like that toothbrush of yours, your brushing will be less effective in terms of cleaning and not ideal for proper dental hygiene because of the receding flexibility of the brush bristles. Not replacing your toothbrush on a regular basis also makes it prone to bacteria build-up. Make sure to change toothbrush at least once every 3 months.
Skipping the floss No matter how thoroughly you clean your teeth, there will always be hard-to-reach areas, particularly those tiny spaces in-between your teeth. This is where food and bacteria build up can occur, which can cause plaque and tooth decay later on. Flossing must always be part of your daily hygiene as this can help remove dirt and remaining food in-between teeth and under the gum line. You can floss 1-2 times a day, preferably in the evening, as frequent flossing can also lead to gum irritation and possible damage.
Brushing every after meal Like what’s stated above, frequent brushing can cause tooth enamel damage, that’s why it’s not recommend to brush every after meal. Besides that, it will be impractical to brush right away after you eat. What you can do is to rinse mouth after a meal. This can help you clean your mouth from left-over food particles and also reduce the acidity of the food that you ate. So to ensure that you’re practicing good oral habits, make it a point to visit your trusted dental hospital Melbourne not only to know about their services but also to learn proper dental hygiene to keep teeth healthy longer.
Photo credit: bark (flickr.com)