There aren’t too terribly many of us out there that are going to cop to committing crimes against our mouths, even though the American Dental Association would report that almost all of us are abusing our smiles far more often than we like to think.
Sure, some of us are just ignorant of the fact that we are really doing a number on our teeth and our mouths, having absolutely no idea whatsoever that the decisions we make every day in regards to our oral health aren’t exactly helping out. But some of us know that we are making at least a handful of oral health mistakes, but we just don’t know how to fix them!
That’s what we’re going to try and remedy right now.
Proper oral hygiene is absolutely mission critical today. Not only is it the only way to guarantee that you have a brilliant and almost blindingly white smile, but it’s also the only way to make sure that your teeth don’t literally rot right out of your head – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to oral health issues.
If you’re going to have any chance whatsoever at making sure that your smile stays in tip top shape you’re going to need to focus on reeling in the mistakes that you’re making and really putting forth a conscious effort to stop committing crimes against your mouth.
Let’s break down some of the biggest culprits!
Brushing too much is almost as bad as brushing too little
Even though you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that brushing your teeth more than the recommended twice daily would help you scrub your teeth perfectly clean all day long, nothing could be further from the truth.
Sure, you have much cleaner teeth and a really clean smile, but after time all of that brushing is going to really start to wear down on the surface of your smile. Teeth are inherently pretty soft and are protected by just a thin layer of enamel. If you keep scrubbing them (even with a soft toothbrush) you’re eventually going to erode the protection that they have on the outer layer, and then you’re really going to be in trouble!
So avoid brushing for or five times a day, and instead try to stick to two and maybe three times. You’ll be much better off!
You aren’t supposed to be scrubbing with sandpaper
A lot of people out there are and the impression that they have to really scrub their teeth clean every chance they get. This almost always causes them to purchase bristles that are way too stiff and abrasive, but also almost forces and compelled them to apply more than a little bit of elbow grease when they are actually brushing.
That’s the last thing that you want to do.
Yes, you want to make sure that you are brushing your teeth firmly and quickly, but you aren’t going to want to try and resurface your teeth with a toothbrush! Slow things down a bit, really try to hit that two or three minute timeline with easy, gentle strokes and soft bristles, and you’ll be off to the races!
You have to brush more than your “chewing teeth”
A lot of people out there are under the impression that they don’t have toothbrush every square inch of their teeth, but instead the “business end” – the parts of your teeth that actually come into contact with whatever it is you were chewing that day.
Do not fall into that trap.
Every surface of your teeth needs to be cleaned as often as twice a day. Not only are you going to want to brush every surface of your teeth, but you’re also going to want to break out the floss and get in between all of the cracks and crevices. That’s the only way that you’re going to be able to protect your teeth from damage, and the only way that you’re going to be able to make sure that your smile stays just as blindingly white and healthy as humanly possible.
Stop brushing right after you eat
It’s become pretty popular to brush right after you eat, but you may actually be doing a lot more harm than good.
If there are any little bits of food left over on the surface of your teeth (even microscopic and all but invisible bits of food) they are going to act as little bits of sandpaper – taking the surface of the enamel of your teeth right off with each and every brush stroke.
That’s the last thing that you want to do.
Instead, give yourself 30 or 40 minutes after eating to kind of dissolve everything on your teeth (your saliva will do all of the heavy lifting for you) before you even think about grabbing a toothbrush.