For the last 10,212 days, I’ve apparently been brushing my teeth wrong, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
You’d imagine we all know how to brush our gnashers, but according to Canadian Dr. Arash Ravanbakhsh, apparently we don’t.
Let’s dive straight in.
Too much pressure when brushing
If you’re trying to brighten your smile, you might think the best medicine would be to brush a bit harder, but that is far from the case.
“Just because you brush your teeth harder does not mean you are giving them a more thorough clean,” the owner of Inglewood Family Dental, in Calgary, explained to the New York Post.
“In fact, this could damage your teeth and gums.”
He continued: “To safely and properly clean your teeth, use a manual brush with soft bristles or an electric toothbrush.
“Another simple technique to soften your teeth cleaning is simply by holding your brush with just three fingers, this way it helps keep the pressure light compared to using your whole wrist.”
‘Breakfast then brush’
If you’re eating a hearty, yet greasy, breakfast, you might think brushing your teeth after washing it down with coffee or orange juice could be the answer to pearlier whites.
A common misconception, as Ravanbakhsh adds: “Dentists recommend brushing first thing in the morning before breakfast, as it removes plaque and bacteria from your mouth built-up during your sleep.
“The toothpaste also provides greater protection against acidic foods, while the method of brushing jump-starts your saliva production, helping break your food down.”
Brushing our teeth is something we’ve learned since we were little, but there’s a few common misconceptions – like thinking brushing after you eat breakfast is good for your teeth (Getty stock)
‘I’ve brushed my teeth twice today’
If you’ve been to the dentist, you’ll have likely been told that you need to be doing more to protect your teeth, usually in the form of flossing.
The dental expert highlighted how there have been scientific studies carried out that suggest flossing before brushing your teeth helps remove even more plaque, while he also added we should be flossing once a day.
Rinsing your mouth out after brushing
This is a practice that I did up until recently, probably the last year or so. It became second nature to me to brush my teeth and stick my head under the tap, catch water in my mouth, rinse it around, and spit it out.
That is a big no-no.
“Once you have finished brushing your teeth, you should spit out any residual toothpaste,” Ravanbakhsh explained.
“By rinsing your mouth with water immediately after brushing, you wash away the fluoride, which is there to help prevent things like tooth decay.”
Applying too much pressure while brushing your teeth actually does more harm than good (Getty stock)
Brushing left to right
This is something we all do, you grab your tooth brush and brush left to right, or however you do it, but what we should really be doing is taking time on each individual tooth.
If you do the math that equates to roughly four seconds per tooth – with adults having 32 teeth… unless of course, one of two have dropped out!
“You may think your teeth brushing method is effective and doing no harm, but you could be missing vital spots. Simply going along your teeth in broad strokes from left to right is not recommended,” the medical expert told the publication.
“Instead focus on tooth-by-tooth, massaging each one softly in back-and-forth or circular motions. Keeping your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle is also beneficial in helping you reach all the small nooks and crannies in your mouth.”
Ravanbakhsh added that we should also be brushing our tongue.
