Are You Making These Mistakes While Brushing Your Teeth?

Posted on: 28 September 2020

Brushing your teeth every morning and evening is the best way to keep your teeth clean — but are you making mistakes that are limiting the effectiveness of your daily dental hygiene routine? Take a look at these common mistakes to see if any of them apply to you.

1. Not Brushing For Long Enough

The Australian Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth for at least two minutes to thoroughly clean them. When you're in a rush in the morning or tired after a hard day, two minutes can feel like a lifetime, which is probably why many people cut it short. Use an electric toothbrush with a built-in timer or use an external timer to ensure you brush for long enough every day.

2. Rinsing After Brushing

Many people rinse their mouth after brushing because they don't like the feeling of toothpaste in their mouth. However, toothpaste is more effective when it remains in contact with your teeth. All you need to do when you finish brushing is spit out the lather that has built up in your mouth — no need to rinse!

3. Choosing the Wrong Toothpaste

The best toothpaste for dental health contains fluoride, which is a natural mineral that helps to strengthen tooth enamel. Some "natural" or "alternative" toothpaste does not contain this vital ingredient, which means they are less effective. If you are not sure if your preferred brand is suitable, look for the Australian Dental Association logo, which lets you know that the toothpaste has been approved by dentists as providing good protection for teeth.

4. Brushing After Eating

Many people think it is a good idea to brush their teeth immediately after a meal to remove traces of the food they just eat. However, if you ate something acidic, such as tomatoes or citrus fruit, the enamel on your teeth will be soft and brushing right away could damage it. Either brush before you eat or wait a while after a meal to get the best effects of brushing.

5. Brushing Too Hard

When it comes to brushing your teeth, harder is not better! Pressing too hard on your teeth can scratch the enamel and make your gums sore. Ease off the pressure and concentrate on gently moving your brush over all surfaces of your teeth — including the backs and chewing surfaces as well as the front surfaces. Some electric toothbrushes have a pressure sensor to let you know if you press too hard.

For more tips, reach out to a local dentist.

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