Ten Commonly Made Dental Mistakes

Do you think you look after your teeth well? If so, there may still be some room for improvement.

Modern dentistry can perform marvels these days, not only having a variety of treatments to restore damaged teeth, but often doing so in a discreet way too. Despite this, we shouldn’t take the health of our teeth for granted and any opportunity available to improve how we look after our teeth should be taken. The basics of this are well known, regular brushing, flossing and dental check ups are essential, but there are a number of little ‘tweaks’ that we can make that are also really beneficial.

Let us take a look then, at some of the ‘fine tuning’ that our Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic patients can do as part of their overall oral health care regime.

1 – Don’t just ‘flat brush’

This is a common mistake that people make. Everyone wants to have healthy teeth and therefore we often brush them thoroughly. What many people fail to do though is to brush around the gums as well. You should make sure to angle the bristles so that they remove food and bacteria trapped under the gum line. If you don’t do this, there is a risk of gum disease as well as decay in that area. Make sure to clean all of your teeth and not just the front flat surface that is the most visible.

2 – Don’t eat or drink after your night time brushing

Too many people make the mistake of eating or drinking after their evening brushing. While water is OK, almost anything else will contain sugar, or starches that will convert to sugar. If you do this then you are undoing the good you have just done by brushing. Anything you eat or drink will leave remnants of sugar on your teeth and gums all night while you sleep.

3 – Don’t ignore tooth sensitivity

If you find that when you eat or drink something hot or cold, you get a sudden pain in your tooth which soon goes away, this should not be considered to be just ‘one of those things’. If you are experiencing this, there is a chance that there may be a crack or other minor damage in the enamel on the tooth. This could allow bacteria to enter the inner part of the tooth, causing tooth decay or possibly root canal infections. If you experience this, contact us to have it checked.

4 – Brush fairly gently

Even if you aren’t happy with the colour of your teeth, there is no need to brush them hard. A gentle circular motion should be sufficient if you have healthy toothbrush bristles. Indeed, brushing too hard could cause the enamel to become worn and increase the risk of sensitivity and decay. If you want to improve the colour of your teeth, ask us about our professional tooth whitening treatments.

5 – Don’t rinse after brushing

This is a mistake that a lot of people make, especially if they are not a fan of the taste of their toothpaste. After brushing our teeth we spit out the toothpaste residue and saliva. This is where it should stop, but many of us then go on to rinse out our mouths with water. This is a bad idea as fluoride from the toothpaste helps to strengthen tooth enamel and rinsing it away will lessen this effect. Make sure to spit but not rinse.

6 – Don’t brush straight after eating

This applies especially after consuming anything acidic but is good practice generally. As we eat anything acidic, the enamel on our teeth temporarily softens. Brushing them during this period is more likely to cause damage to the enamel. You should allow around 30 minutes after eating before you brush your teeth.

7 – Don’t use non fluoride toothpaste

For the reasons mentioned above, you should ALWAYS use a toothpaste that contains fluoride. If you don’t, then you greatly increase your likelihood of needling more fillings than most due to dental cavities.

8 – Don’t use worn out toothbrushes

If you haven’t changed your toothbrush in a while, now might be the time to do so. Worn bristles are ineffective at keeping your teeth clean and your gums healthy. Your toothbrush or head of an electric one should be changed every three months.

9 – Not following our dentist’s aftercare advice

When you have had treatment, you should always follow our dentist’s advice. Ignoring this may mean that you are back in the dental chair much sooner than you imagined. If, for example, the dentist tells you not to brush the area of an extraction, please take heed. Dislodging the blood clot that forms there could lead to a dry socket which can be very painful.

10 – Don’t rely on mouthwash alone

Hopefully, this is something that none of our Canterbury patients do, but we have heard of this happening. Some people simply don’t like brushing their teeth and rely solely on mouthwash, hoping to keep their teeth healthy. Even if mouthwash might make your mouth feel fresh, it won’t clean your teeth effectively at all. Remember to brush twice a day and to floss as well.

We hope that these reminders will help you to fine tune and improve your cleaning regime. Remember though that you should also make sure to have an oral health check every six months and to see the dental hygienist for a scale and polish at the same interval.

For further advice about anything mentioned in today’s blog, or to contact us for an appointment, please call Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic on 01227 463 529.