Bad breath, tooth decay, tooth sensitivity, bleeding when brushing… These oral problems may not sound serious, but they bother many people. One key reason is: oral hygiene is not done properly.
For example, the following 8 mistakes made to teeth.
- Brushing teeth horizontally
Many people always brush their teeth horizontally and very vigorously.
Brushing teeth horizontally for many years may cause tooth neck defects and gum atrophy. The most direct symptom is tooth sensitivity, which cannot stand cold drinks.
The correct way to brush teeth should be the “Bass brushing method”:
The toothbrush should be tilted 45 degrees toward the gums and placed at the junction of the teeth and gums. Then gently and slightly vibrate, brushing one or two teeth each time. And every surface of the teeth: the outer surface, the tongue surface, and the surface for biting should be brushed. - Use a hard-bristled toothbrush
The cleaning efficiency of a hard-bristled toothbrush will be higher, but it is also more likely to damage the tooth body and gums. Using a toothbrush with soft bristles and the correct brushing method is enough to achieve the cleaning efficiency we need.
But one thing to note is that you don’t have to buy too soft bristles, as the cleaning efficiency is not ideal. - Don’t brush your tongue
There are many bacteria living on the tongue. Some pathogenic bacteria can cause diseases such as tooth decay and periodontitis, and some bacteria can cause bad breath.
When brushing your teeth, lightly brushing your tongue can remove some bacteria. - Don’t use fluoride toothpaste
One of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent tooth decay is to use fluoride toothpaste.
Some people worry that using too much fluoride toothpaste will cause fluoride poisoning, so they spend more money to buy non-fluoride toothpaste. In fact, the amount of fluoride in toothpaste is far from poisoning. - Too short brushing time
You need to brush your teeth for more than 2 minutes each time to clean all your teeth.
The average person has 28 to 32 teeth, and each tooth has 2 to 3 surfaces to brush. Even if you only spend 2 seconds on each surface, it will take more than 2 minutes.
Using the correct brushing method can generally reach more than 2 minutes. - Too few brushing times
Brushing twice a day is the brushing frequency recommended by doctors. - Don’t use dental floss
Dental floss can effectively clean food and bacteria in the gaps between teeth.
The gaps between teeth cannot be brushed by brushing. If they are not cleaned for a long time, the food residues and bacteria in the gaps between teeth will turn into tartar, which will lead to diseases such as interproximal caries.
Moreover, interproximal caries is not easy to detect. Generally, by the time you notice it, a large hole has already been formed. - Not washing teeth
Dartal tartar is the most direct hidden danger of gingivitis and periodontitis. If it is not removed, there may be problems such as bleeding gums and bad breath. However, dental tartar cannot be removed by brushing teeth, and can only be washed away by washing teeth.