10 Mistakes Made During Tooth Brushing
We gathered 10 mistakes made during tooth brushing together within this article.
Tooth brushing is the easiest, most effortless and most economical solution to protect your mouth, teeth and gum health. If you brush your teeth twice a day and avoid making the following mistakes, in addition to all of them, if you go to the dentist every 6 months, your teeth will stay with you for life.
In general, there are 10 mistakes made during tooth brushing;
→ Using the toothbrush for too long
As a result of regular use, the average life of the toothbrush is 3 months. At the end of the 3rd month, the bristles of the brush wear out. In this case, it cannot clean the teeth properly. In addition, bacteria and food residues accumulate on the toothbrush during this period. For this reason, it is necessary to change toothbrushes every 3 months.
→ Not brushing teeth for enough time
The recommended brushing time is 2 minutes. When brushing is done in less than 2 minutes, the fluoride in the paste cannot affect the tooth enamel. When the brushing time is kept short, the anterior surfaces of the teeth are generally brushed while the posterior surfaces are neglected. This causes the back teeth to rot easily.
→ Rinsing the mouth with water after brushing teeth
If you rinse your mouth with water after brushing your teeth, you will destroy the effect of the fluoride in the toothpaste. After brushing as a habit, the need for mouth rinsing may arise. In this case, it will be useful to use a mouthwash containing fluorine.
→ Keeping the toothbrush by the bathroom sink
It is a common mistake made by almost everyone. Every time a toothbrush sitting on the edge of the sink is flushed, a lot of bacteria and microbes are mixed into the air from the toilet bowl. It is inevitable that these will also stick to your exposed toothbrush. For this reason, you should store your toothbrush in a high place so that it does not come into contact with other toothbrushes and by wearing a protective cover. Do not forget to close the toilet lid before pulling the chiffon.
→ 10 mistakes during tooth brushing: Not using dental floss
If you haven’t started using it yet, you should definitely make it a habit. Using dental floss at least once a day helps to clean food residues and plaque that your toothbrush cannot reach. If plaque is not removed from the teeth, it turns into tartar.
→ Not cleaning the tongue
After tooth brushing, tongue cleaning should also be done in order to prevent the formation of bad odor in the mouth. With the tongue cleaning process, you ensure that the bacteria stuck to your tongue are cleaned. As with dental cleaning equipment, some toothbrushes also have a plastic part on the back that helps to clean the tongue. Don’t forget to clean your tongue every time you brush your teeth.
→ Using a hard toothbrush
Hard toothbrushes damage your gums. In addition, it causes the protective layer of your teeth to wear off. In such cases, tooth sensitivity and gum disease occur. For this reason, soft toothbrushes should be preferred.
→ 10 mistakes made during tooth brushing: Using the wrong brushing technique
The correct brushing technique is to draw circles. Moving the brush back and forth is not. Circular movements clean between teeth more gently and effectively. The toothbrush should be in contact with both the teeth and the gums. It shouldn’t be pressed too fast. Tilt the brush vertically behind the front and lower teeth and apply gentle circular motions using only the front half of the brush.
→ Brushing the teeth at the wrong angle
You should always hold your toothbrush at a 45° angle and make short circular movements. This angle ensures the most efficient cleaning of the teeth.
→ Not changing your tooth brushing routine
Most of the time we perform the brushing process on autopilot. As a habit, we always brush the same areas and forget about other places. Change things up, starting in a different area and following the irregular order.
