In order to maintain oral hygiene, we must brush our teeth every day. Brushing not only removes the threat of bacteria, but also effectively protects the health of the teeth.
But can you really brush your teeth? The following is a summary of five misunderstandings about brushing your teeth.
Mistake 1: Brushing your teeth too hard
Too much strength when brushing your teeth will not only damage your teeth but also your gums and cause oral ulcers. In fact, it’s not that the more effort you use, the better you can brush your teeth. If the method of brushing your teeth is wrong, too much force will damage your teeth.
The correct way:
The strength of brushing teeth should be neither light nor heavy. It is advisable to clean the surface of the teeth. Use the strength of the wrist instead of the strength of the arm.
Mistake 2: Brush your teeth when you wake up
People often get up early every day to brush their teeth and then eat breakfast. Some people say that this will eat the “effective tooth-protecting ingredients” in the toothpaste with breakfast. In fact, ordinary toothpaste can only play a role in cleaning teeth, and there is no so-called effective tooth-protecting ingredient. However, brushing your teeth before breakfast is still a wrong habit.
The correct way:
Brush your teeth 20 minutes after breakfast. Rinse your mouth with water after getting up, eat breakfast, and brush your teeth 20 minutes after a meal is the healthiest, especially after drinking acidic beverages or eating acidic foods.
Mistake 3: The toothbrush head is too large
Everyone’s teeth are large and small. The toothbrush is too large, and it will not be flexible enough to perform tasks in the oral cavity. The toothbrush is too small to complete a large area of oral cleaning. Therefore, it is not recommended to use a toothbrush that is too large. The size of the toothbrush is to ensure that the brush head can be flexibly extended to the back teeth. If the toothbrush is too large, the teeth that cannot reach the last part will cause the brush to be dirty and cause bacterial proliferation.
The correct way:
Choose a toothbrush of the right size. The size of the toothbrush head should be equal to the width of two and a half to three teeth. In addition, ordinary toothbrushes generally need to be replaced every 3 months, but toothbrushes with deformed bristles should be replaced immediately.
Mistake 4: Brush your teeth in cold water
Cold water can cause tooth soreness in people with sensitive dentin, and is not conducive to the effective cleaning of teeth in toothpaste. Especially in winter, you need to brush your teeth with warm water to avoid tooth sensitivity.
The correct way:
The main ingredients in toothpaste are friction agent and fluoride. Laboratory studies have found that the best temperature for these effective ingredients to work is around 37°C. Therefore, it is best to use warm water close to your body temperature when brushing your teeth.
Mistake 5: Brush your teeth sideways
The survey shows that more than 90% of Chinese people use the method of horizontal brushing, which is a physical wear and tear on tooth enamel.
The purpose of brushing is to remove bacteria from the surface and crevices of the teeth, not to damage the teeth themselves. On the one hand, horizontal brushing cannot remove the rubbish in the gaps between teeth, and it may also cause wedge-shaped defects at the roots of the teeth, gum damage, and dentin sensitivity.
The correct way:
The correct way to brush your teeth is to brush vertically along the gaps between the teeth. If wedge-shaped wear has occurred, you should go to the oral institution for restoration to avoid further damage to the teeth.
